Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Bali: $1,204 and $1,214 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bali, Indonesia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,214
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,214 in Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Bali $1,214

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,047 in Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Bali $2,047

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,880 in Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Bali $2,880

Playa del Carmen and Bali have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Carmen and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bali 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$2.73 Rp 49.5K
300.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$28.91 Rp 524.6K
50.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$4.56 Rp 82.7K
158.33%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.26 Rp 41.1K
68.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$1.43 Rp 25.9K
-10.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$0.68 Rp 12.4K
14.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
42.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$3.68 Rp 66.8K
33.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.49 Rp 27.0K
-5.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$2.18 Rp 39.6K
1.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$1.14 Rp 20.7K
24.56%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$2.02 Rp 36.6K
24.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$16.81 Rp 305.0K
-56.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$3.57 Rp 64.8K
115.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$11.31 Rp 205.2K
12.20%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.44 Rp 62.5K
-19.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$1.51 Rp 27.4K
-9.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$2.19 Rp 39.8K
16.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$1.88 Rp 34.2K
12.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.71 Rp 31.0K
13.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$2.32 Rp 42.0K
-18.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$0.99 Rp 18.0K
16.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$0.50 Rp 9,070
136.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$2.03 Rp 36.8K
111.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$21.49 Rp 389.9K
-53.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$2.14 Rp 38.8K
-26.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.87 Rp 52.0K
-6.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$0.25 Rp 4,564
120.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$8.82 Rp 160.1K
201.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$0.45 Rp 8,156
1004.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$0.44 Rp 7,978
656.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$5.48 Rp 99.4K
-2.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
61.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$24.3K Rp 440.9M
-14.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$31.9K Rp 579.6M
-26.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$79.9 Rp 1.4M
6.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$6.55 Rp 118.8K
257.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$18.48 Rp 335.3K
55.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$40.66 Rp 737.8K
40.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$14.93 Rp 270.8K
93.64%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$3.67 Rp 66.5K
40.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$437 Rp 7.9M
-52.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$5,063 Rp 91.9M
-22.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$43.62 Rp 791.5K
-0.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$32.69 Rp 593.2K
26.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$73.6 Rp 1.3M
0.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$74.3 Rp 1.3M
20.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$984 Rp 17.9M
-0.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$583 Rp 10.6M
-34.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$3,121 Rp 56.6M
-45.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$1,475 Rp 26.8M
-27.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$2,447 Rp 44.4M
61.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$1,963 Rp 35.6M
213.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$215 Rp 3.9M
241.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
13.78
-16.91%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Bali
$583 53.1% $202
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Bali
$275 8% $20
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Bali
$90 55.7% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Bali
$105 23.4% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Bali
$101 9.7% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Bali
$48 28.7% $19
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Bali
$12 75.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $984 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $29 in Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Bali – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇩 Bali
🕒 Local time
10:59 10:59 AM
23:59 11:59 PM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,249 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bali 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bali

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Playa del Carmen vs Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,821 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Bali?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $984 in Bali. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Bali?
Groceries cost about 8% more in Bali, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Bali?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $437 in Bali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Bali?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,214 in Bali, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,214 in Bali. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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