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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 69.2% more expensive than Balikpapan without rent, and 55.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 14.5% more expensive than Balikpapan without rent, and 79.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.99 MX$227
$1.57 Rp 25.4K
663.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.47 MX$803
$15.51 Rp 251.8K
173.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 MX$198
$3.31 Rp 53.8K
216.31%
Cappuccino
$3.6 MX$68.2
$1.56 Rp 25.3K
130.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$27.16
$0.44 Rp 7,077
227.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 MX$16.79
$0.41 Rp 6,672
117.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 MX$58.5
$1.95 Rp 31.7K
58.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 MX$86.6
$2.98 Rp 48.3K
53.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.38 MX$26.04
$1.83 Rp 29.7K
-24.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 MX$34.9
$1.3 Rp 21K
42.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.68
$1.33 Rp 21.7K
18.05%
Eggs
$2.55 MX$48.3
$2.72 Rp 44.1K
-6.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$163
$24.09 Rp 391K
-64.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.54 MX$161
$5.03 Rp 81.7K
69.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.98 MX$208
$7.95 Rp 129K
38.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 MX$51.4
$3.65 Rp 59.3K
-25.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 MX$28.57
$1.52 Rp 24.7K
-0.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.88 MX$35.63
$2.09 Rp 34K
-10.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.42
$1.2 Rp 19.4K
82.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.87 MX$35.3
$1.86 Rp 30.1K
0.54%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 MX$41.37
$3.77 Rp 61.3K
-41.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$20.23
$1.06 Rp 17.2K
0.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 MX$20.64
$0.74 Rp 12.1K
47.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 MX$74.9
$2.07 Rp 33.7K
91.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.86 MX$167
$11.9 Rp 193.1K
-25.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 MX$32.53
$2.13 Rp 34.5K
-19.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.61 MX$49.37
$4.19 Rp 67.9K
-37.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.74
$0.62 Rp 10.1K
-16.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.59 MX$503
$9.62 Rp 156.2K
176.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 MX$61.2
$1.2 Rp 19.4K
170.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.38 MX$44.94
$0.34 Rp 5,587
600.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$58.7
$6.2 Rp 100.7K
-49.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 MX$24.85
$0.74 Rp 12K
77.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K MX$573K
$24.8K Rp 403M
22.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24K MX$453.6K
$25.2K Rp 408.8M
-4.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,592
$90.6 Rp 1.5M
-6.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.14 MX$419
$3.09 Rp 50.2K
616.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.14 MX$570
$32.1 Rp 521K
-6.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52 MX$983
$21.72 Rp 352.5K
139.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.72 MX$354
$24.64 Rp 399.9K
-24.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.07 MX$95.9
$3.11 Rp 50.5K
63.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,787
$62 Rp 1M
223.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,333 MX$100.8K
$7,459 Rp 121.1M
-28.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.74 MX$676
$41.26 Rp 669.7K
-13.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.8 MX$753
$20.45 Rp 331.9K
94.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 MX$1,493
$126 Rp 2M
-37.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,671
$121 Rp 2M
-27.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$965 MX$18.3K
$219 Rp 3.6M
341.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$474 MX$8,968
$156 Rp 2.5M
204.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,653 MX$31.2K
$494 Rp 8M
234.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,202 MX$22.7K
$304 Rp 4.9M
295.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,081 MX$58.3K
$1,275 Rp 20.7M
141.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,529 MX$142.3K
$848 Rp 13.8M
787.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$792 MX$15K
$210 Rp 3.4M
277.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
15
-23.87%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2025

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