Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $799 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
Learn more

Gili Air Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Gili Air

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $799 in Gili Air, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gili Air $799

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,333 in Gili Air, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gili Air $1,333

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,867 in Gili Air, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gili Air $1,867

Playa del Carmen costs about 51% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Gili Air are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Gili Air 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.75 Rp 31.7K

524.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$19.07 Rp 346.3K

127.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.07 Rp 55.7K

283.71%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$1.44 Rp 26.1K

164.58%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.45 Rp 8,177

73.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

124.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$2.43 Rp 44.0K

102.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.57 Rp 28.5K

41.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

73.17%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$12.36 Rp 224.4K

-41.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

186.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.62 Rp 156.6K

47.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

21.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

57.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

13.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.69 Rp 12.5K

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.35 Rp 6,294

237.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

172.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$15.83 Rp 287.6K

-37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.67 Rp 30.4K

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.13 Rp 38.7K

25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.22 Rp 3,947

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$7.24 Rp 131.6K

267.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.35 Rp 6,433

1320.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.34 Rp 6,239

879.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$5.03 Rp 91.3K

6.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.69 Rp 12.6K

108.70%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$19.2K Rp 348.8M

7.60%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$25.5K Rp 462.3M

-7.83%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$65.5 Rp 1.2M

29.39%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$5.15 Rp 93.5K

354.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$14.88 Rp 270.3K

92.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$28.80 Rp 523.0K

98.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$10.30 Rp 187.0K

180.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$2.56 Rp 46.5K

100.78%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$334 Rp 6.1M

-38.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$3,903 Rp 70.9M

0.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$36.14 Rp 656.4K

19.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$27.91 Rp 506.9K

48.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$64.7 Rp 1.2M

14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$63.1 Rp 1.1M

41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$530 Rp 9.6M

85.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$322 Rp 5.8M

18.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$1,668 Rp 30.3M

2.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$823 Rp 14.9M

30.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,299 Rp 23.6M

203.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$1,081 Rp 19.6M

469.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.78

-16.91%

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 Gili Air: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gili Air

$322 40.3% 15.4% $59

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gili Air

$204 25.5% 20.1% $51

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 71.4% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gili Air

$86 10.7% 37.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gili Air

$86 10.8% 22.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gili Air

$34 4.2% 49.6% $33

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gili Air

$10 1.3% 79.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $530 in Gili Air. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $19 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $204 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gili Air 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,199 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $530 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $799 in Gili Air. That makes Gili Air about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gili Air costs $799 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Gili Air is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 34% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.