Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jayapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Jayapura: $634 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Jayapura
Learn more

Jayapura Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Jayapura

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $634 in Jayapura.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Jayapura $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,002 in Jayapura.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Jayapura $1,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,369 in Jayapura.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Jayapura $1,369

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 92% more expensive than in Jayapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 9% lower, Jayapura 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$1.64 Rp 29.4K

568.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$9.48 Rp 169.4K

373.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$3.09 Rp 55.1K

285.76%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$2.03 Rp 36.3K

87.19%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$0.65 Rp 11.7K

101.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.54 Rp 9,593

59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$3.41 Rp 61.0K

-5.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$2.82 Rp 50.4K

77.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

26.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$1.05 Rp 18.7K

121.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$0.80 Rp 14.3K

80.00%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

67.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$7.26 Rp 129.8K

6.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$2.91 Rp 52.0K

171.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$7.67 Rp 137.0K

66.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$2.19 Rp 39.2K

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

13.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

48.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

68.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.23 Rp 22.0K

58.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.97 Rp 35.1K

-1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$0.75 Rp 13.4K

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$0.40 Rp 7,138

205.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$2.64 Rp 47.2K

65.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$20.40 Rp 364.7K

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.89 Rp 33.7K

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.90 Rp 51.8K

-6.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$0.29 Rp 5,199

79.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$0.49 Rp 8,711

902.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.34 Rp 6,147

935.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$2.78 Rp 49.8K

104.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$0.80 Rp 14.2K

92.50%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$22.9K Rp 408.9M

-7.14%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$29.9K Rp 534.5M

-18.11%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$66.5 Rp 1.2M

25.71%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$4.21 Rp 75.2K

470.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$18.92 Rp 338.2K

55.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$19.76 Rp 353.2K

228.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$8.45 Rp 151.0K

248.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$2.84 Rp 50.8K

79.23%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$95.2 Rp 1.7M

118.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$7,625 Rp 136.3M

-46.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$42.96 Rp 768.0K

3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$29.03 Rp 518.9K

44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$69.3 Rp 1.2M

31.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$227 Rp 4.1M

335.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$148 Rp 2.7M

159.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$554 Rp 9.9M

209.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$364 Rp 6.5M

204.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$1,171 Rp 20.9M

242.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$797 Rp 14.2M

684.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

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 4, 2026

Last update for Jayapura: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Jayapura

$148 23.5% 61.5% $237

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Jayapura

$194 30.7% 25.6% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Jayapura

$74 11.8% 63.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Jayapura

$90 14.2% 34.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Jayapura

$97 15.3% 15.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Jayapura

$25 4% 66.1% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Jayapura

$3.4 * 0.5% 93.5% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $227 in Jayapura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $9.00 in Jayapura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $194 per month, with Jayapura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Jayapura

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

233,859

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jayapura 14,460 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jayapura

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 Jayapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jayapura is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,823 in Playa del Carmen and $952 in Jayapura to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $227 in Jayapura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $634 in Jayapura – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $634 in Jayapura versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jayapura but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Jayapura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jayapura is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Jayapura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.