Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Medan is 44.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 49% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medan is 37.3% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 55.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
$11.85 MX$209
-84.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.71 Rp 180.9K
$42.16 MX$744
-74.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.17 Rp 53.6K
$10.75 MX$190
-70.51%
Cappuccino
$1.80 Rp 30.4K
$3.47 MX$61.3
-48.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 6,677
$1.45 MX$25.65
-72.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 Rp 4,597
$0.90 MX$15.93
-70.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 Rp 25.4K
$3.05 MX$53.9
-50.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.37 Rp 90.7K
$4.42 MX$77.9
21.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 Rp 20.1K
$1.37 MX$24.17
-13.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 Rp 19.8K
$1.87 MX$33.05
-37.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$1.54 MX$27.25
-43.51%
Eggs
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
$2.50 MX$44.18
-40.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.36 Rp 158.1K
$8.61 MX$152
8.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 Rp 66.1K
$8.63 MX$152
-54.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.83 Rp 115.3K
$11.02 MX$195
-38.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 Rp 38.6K
$2.75 MX$48.53
-17.09%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 Rp 17.0K
$1.43 MX$25.21
-29.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 24.6K
$1.87 MX$33.05
-21.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.93 Rp 15.7K
$2.17 MX$38.26
-57.14%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 Rp 12.4K
$1.88 MX$33.23
-61.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 21.2K
$2.25 MX$39.65
-44.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 Rp 7,258
$1.07 MX$18.85
-59.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 Rp 7,905
$1.07 MX$18.95
-56.07%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.41 Rp 40.7K
$4.15 MX$73.3
-41.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.79 Rp 283.5K
$10.34 MX$182
62.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 Rp 22.5K
$1.68 MX$29.64
-20.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 Rp 54.3K
$2.48 MX$43.84
29.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 Rp 4,986
$0.55 MX$9.80
-45.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.11 Rp 170.7K
$26.53 MX$468
-61.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 Rp 8,924
$3.22 MX$56.8
-83.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 Rp 3,372
$2.48 MX$43.80
-91.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.01 Rp 101.5K
$3.11 MX$54.9
93.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$1.26 MX$22.16
-30.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K Rp 467.8M
$30.7K MX$541.1K
-9.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K Rp 580.5M
$24.0K MX$424.3K
43.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.2 Rp 1.4M
$82.5 MX$1,456
-0.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.53 Rp 59.6K
$22.29 MX$393
-84.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.29 Rp 562.2K
$30.02 MX$530
10.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.70 Rp 400.2K
$51.4 MX$908
-53.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.15 Rp 120.7K
$18.29 MX$323
-60.91%
Cinema Ticket
$3.44 Rp 58.1K
$4.98 MX$88.0
-30.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 Rp 2.1M
$200 MX$3,530
-36.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K Rp 180.1M
$5,304 MX$93.6K
101.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 Rp 1.1M
$35.71 MX$630
86.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.45 Rp 716.8K
$39.56 MX$698
7.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 Rp 2.0M
$80.6 MX$1,422
46.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.3 Rp 1.1M
$88.3 MX$1,559
-27.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$195 Rp 3.3M
$969 MX$17.1K
-79.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.1 Rp 1.7M
$482 MX$8,511
-79.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$529 Rp 8.9M
$1,595 MX$28.2K
-66.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 Rp 3.9M
$1,184 MX$20.9K
-80.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,233 Rp 20.8M
$4,050 MX$71.5K
-69.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$599 Rp 10.1M
$6,522 MX$115.1K
-90.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medan
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$233 Rp 3.9M
$756 MX$13.4K
-69.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.25
11.42
-19.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medan: March 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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