Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bekasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bekasi: $665 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

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

Cost of Living Index in Bekasi
Learn more

Bekasi Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Bekasi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $665 in Bekasi.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Bekasi $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,073 in Bekasi.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Bekasi $1,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,480 in Bekasi.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Bekasi $1,480

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 82% more expensive than in Bekasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Bekasi 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

295.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$14.10 Rp 253.9K

205.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$3.41 Rp 61.4K

245.75%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

163.27%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.46 Rp 8,309

197.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.22 Rp 3,940

281.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.82 Rp 68.7K

32.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

30.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

99.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

72.94%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

54.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.52 Rp 171.4K

-23.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.94 Rp 53.0K

167.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$8.02 Rp 144.4K

59.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.74 Rp 49.3K

5.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.50 Rp 45.0K

2.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

56.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

49.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.11 Rp 37.9K

-4.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

26.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.40 Rp 7,281

215.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

60.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$22.24 Rp 400.3K

-56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.03 Rp 36.5K

-21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

-9.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.35 Rp 6,217

62.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$11.05 Rp 199.0K

151.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

500.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.44 Rp 7,889

695.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

138.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

70.93%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$20.8K Rp 375.2M

0.67%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.1K Rp 578.4M

-25.60%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$63.4 Rp 1.1M

32.87%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$5.94 Rp 106.9K

303.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$19.24 Rp 346.3K

50.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$15.55 Rp 280.0K

305.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$6.20 Rp 111.5K

370.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$3.36 Rp 60.6K

47.02%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$128 Rp 2.3M

58.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$8,333 Rp 150.0M

-52.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$58.3 Rp 1.0M

-25.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$32.38 Rp 582.8K

33.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

-1.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$94.1 Rp 1.7M

-5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$206 Rp 3.7M

389.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$133 Rp 2.4M

181.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$457 Rp 8.2M

274.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$358 Rp 6.4M

209.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$585 Rp 10.5M

573.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$902 Rp 16.2M

583.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$366 Rp 6.6M

106.01%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Bekasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Bekasi

$133 20% 64.5% $241

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Bekasi

$216 32.5% 16.5% $43

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Bekasi

$72 10.9% 64.3% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Bekasi

$89 13.3% 35.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Bekasi

$118 17.7% 4.2% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Bekasi

$22 3.4% 69.4% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Bekasi

$15 2.3% 70.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $206 in Bekasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 106% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $14.00 in Bekasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $216 per month, with Bekasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Bekasi

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,334,871

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bekasi 17,810 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bekasi

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 Bekasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Bekasi differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($1,210 vs $665 including rent). Bekasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 106% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $206 in Bekasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bekasi – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $665 in Bekasi – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $665 in Bekasi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bekasi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Bekasi 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 Bekasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.