Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $623 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
Learn more

Bandung Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $623 in Bandung.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bandung $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $925 in Bandung.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bandung $925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,226 in Bandung.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bandung $1,226

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 93% more expensive than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Bandung 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

680.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.70 Rp 249.1K

216.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$3.22 Rp 58.5K

265.84%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

157.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.43 Rp 7,780

197.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.22 Rp 3,994

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

2.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.10 Rp 56.4K

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.97 Rp 17.6K

128.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

65.12%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

78.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.94 Rp 126.1K

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

163.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.93 Rp 144.1K

60.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

25.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

30.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.46 Rp 26.5K

74.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$0.89 Rp 16.2K

138.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

77.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.94 Rp 35.2K

-2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.43 Rp 7,815

174.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.56 Rp 46.6K

67.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$22.37 Rp 406.6K

-55.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.89 Rp 34.4K

-16.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.15 Rp 57.3K

-15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.27 Rp 4,863

103.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$12.56 Rp 228.4K

111.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

491.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.54 Rp 9,737

516.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.32 Rp 42.2K

131.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

71.43%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$20.8K Rp 377.2M

-0.43%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$32.2K Rp 585.8M

-27.19%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$33.56 Rp 609.9K

152.65%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$4.22 Rp 76.8K

454.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$19.17 Rp 348.4K

49.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$16.35 Rp 297.2K

248.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$5.92 Rp 107.7K

388.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.83 Rp 51.3K

81.63%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

124.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,239 Rp 149.7M

-52.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$38.89 Rp 706.7K

11.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$31.30 Rp 568.8K

32.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

-0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

28.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$208 Rp 3.8M

370.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$176 Rp 3.2M

116.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$372 Rp 6.8M

359.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$264 Rp 4.8M

307.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$706 Rp 12.8M

458.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$298 Rp 5.4M

1965.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$277 Rp 5.0M

165.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

11.38

0.62%

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 Bandung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bandung

$176 28.2% 53.9% $205

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bandung

$192 30.8% 24.6% $63

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 68.9% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 58.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bandung

$96 15.5% 13.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bandung

$22 3.5% 67.3% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bandung

$17 2.8% 66% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $208 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $14 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $192 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

05:23 5:23 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bandung 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bandung

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 Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 2.7 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 $208 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $623 in Bandung versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Bandung but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bandung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value at $623 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.