Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Balikpapan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Balikpapan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $669 in Balikpapan.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Balikpapan $669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,057 in Balikpapan.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Balikpapan $1,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,444 in Balikpapan.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Balikpapan $1,444

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 80% more expensive than in Balikpapan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Balikpapan 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

680.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

298.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

290.07%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

184.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.35 Rp 6,320

265.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.39 Rp 7,034

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

40.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

40.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

24.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

111.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

21.37%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

1.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

158.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

27.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

4.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

65.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

61.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

-3.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

141.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

-52.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

-10.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.23 Rp 4,151

139.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

131.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

347.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.29 Rp 5,189

1048.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

90.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

92.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

-10.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

-25.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,575

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

32.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$435

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

458.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

-2.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

139.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

249.58%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

82.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,836

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

125.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

-57.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

14.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

122.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$140 Rp 2.5M

-47.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

26.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$197 Rp 3.6M

397.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$143 Rp 2.6M

165.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$559 Rp 10.2M

205.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$362 Rp 6.6M

196.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

198.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$777 Rp 14.1M

692.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$238 Rp 4.3M

209.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.46

21.04%

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 Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Balikpapan

$143 21.4% 62.4% $238

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Balikpapan

$206 30.8% 19.2% $49

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Balikpapan

$58 8.6% 71.6% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Balikpapan

$98 14.6% 28.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Balikpapan

$120 18% 7.6% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Balikpapan

$29 4.4% 56.2% $38

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Balikpapan

$15 2.2% 70.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $197 in Balikpapan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $11 in Balikpapan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $206 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

13:49 1:49 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

701,066

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Balikpapan 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Balikpapan

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 Balikpapan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $669 in Balikpapan, so Balikpapan is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $197 in Balikpapan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 57% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $92 in Balikpapan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.