Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cimahi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cimahi: $566 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Cimahi, Indonesia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Cimahi
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$566
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $566 in Cimahi.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Cimahi $566

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $949 in Cimahi.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Cimahi $949

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,331 in Cimahi.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Cimahi $1,331

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 113% more expensive than in Cimahi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Cimahi 58% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$1.70 Rp 30.8K
542.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$13.70 Rp 248.4K
216.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$3.24 Rp 58.7K
263.58%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$1.53 Rp 27.8K
149.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$0.43 Rp 7,785
197.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.24 Rp 4,374
225.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$2.50 Rp 45.3K
26.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$2.96 Rp 53.7K
66.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.08 Rp 19.5K
30.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$0.98 Rp 17.7K
126.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$0.86 Rp 15.6K
65.12%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
72.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$6.92 Rp 125.5K
4.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$2.89 Rp 52.5K
166.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$8.01 Rp 145.2K
58.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.24 Rp 40.6K
24.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.03 Rp 18.7K
33.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$1.46 Rp 26.5K
74.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$0.95 Rp 17.2K
123.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.05 Rp 19.0K
84.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.94 Rp 35.3K
-2.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$0.63 Rp 11.5K
82.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$0.39 Rp 7,122
202.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$2.58 Rp 46.8K
66.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$20.91 Rp 379.3K
-52.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.80 Rp 32.6K
-12.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.98 Rp 54.0K
-10.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$0.25 Rp 4,524
120.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$10.88 Rp 197.3K
144.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$0.53 Rp 9,559
837.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$0.32 Rp 5,749
940.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$2.23 Rp 40.4K
140.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$0.81 Rp 14.7K
77.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$20.6K Rp 373.8M
0.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$31.5K Rp 570.6M
-25.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$33.33 Rp 604.5K
154.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$4.32 Rp 78.4K
441.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$19.04 Rp 345.4K
50.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$17.99 Rp 326.3K
217.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$8.40 Rp 152.4K
244.17%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$2.69 Rp 48.7K
91.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$91.3 Rp 1.7M
126.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$7,947 Rp 144.1M
-50.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$39.15 Rp 710.1K
10.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$28.39 Rp 514.9K
45.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$70.9 Rp 1.3M
4.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$70.2 Rp 1.3M
27.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$197 Rp 3.6M
397.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$127 Rp 2.3M
200.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$561 Rp 10.2M
204.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$380 Rp 6.9M
182.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$1,318 Rp 23.9M
199.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$866 Rp 15.7M
610.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Cimahi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$247 Rp 4.5M
197.22%
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 Cimahi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Cimahi
$127 66.7% $254
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Cimahi
$188 26.2% $67
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Cimahi
$63 69% $140
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Cimahi
$57 58.6% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Cimahi
$94 16% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Cimahi
$23 65.3% $44
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Cimahi
$14 72.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

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

Playa del Carmen pays about 3 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 Cimahi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $188 per month, with Cimahi cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇩 Cimahi
🕒 Local time
04:01 4:01 AM
16:01 4:01 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
561,386
💱 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Cimahi 17,820 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Cimahi

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 Cimahi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Cimahi?
Cimahi wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cimahi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Playa del Carmen or in Cimahi?
Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Cimahi?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $197 in Cimahi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Cimahi?
A monthly transit pass in Cimahi runs roughly 59% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Cimahi?
Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $91 in Cimahi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Playa del Carmen or in Cimahi?
At $566 in Cimahi versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Cimahi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Cimahi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Cimahi?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cimahi delivers better value at $566 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cimahi hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cimahi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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