Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kuta, Bali

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Kuta, Bali: $1,204 and $1,212 a month, rent and utilities included.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Kuta, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,212
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Kuta, Bali

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,212 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Kuta, Bali $1,212

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,042 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Kuta, Bali $2,042

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,872 in Kuta, Bali, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Kuta, Bali $2,872

Playa del Carmen is about 1% cheaper than Kuta, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Kuta, Bali are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Kuta, Bali 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$2.97 Rp 53.5K
265.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$30.91 Rp 556.3K
43.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$5.02 Rp 90.3K
134.26%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$2.37 Rp 42.6K
55.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$1.44 Rp 26.0K
-6.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$0.66 Rp 11.9K
24.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
33.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$3.90 Rp 70.2K
26.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.44 Rp 25.9K
2.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$2.10 Rp 37.7K
5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$1.16 Rp 20.9K
27.59%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$2.03 Rp 36.6K
22.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$16.43 Rp 295.8K
-54.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$3.72 Rp 66.9K
113.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$11.63 Rp 209.3K
8.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.37 Rp 60.7K
-17.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$1.52 Rp 27.3K
-5.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.17 Rp 39.0K
20.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$1.83 Rp 32.9K
16.94%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.75 Rp 31.5K
15.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
-12.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$0.99 Rp 17.8K
15.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$0.51 Rp 9,228
135.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$2.12 Rp 38.2K
100.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$21.73 Rp 391.1K
-53.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$2.25 Rp 40.5K
-31.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.81 Rp 50.5K
-5.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$0.25 Rp 4,476
112.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$8.75 Rp 157.5K
214.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$0.49 Rp 8,779
900.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$0.48 Rp 8,665
614.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$2.69 Rp 48.5K
100.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$0.93 Rp 16.7K
55.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$26.1K Rp 469.9M
-18.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$35.9K Rp 646.9M
-35.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$80.0 Rp 1.4M
6.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$6.35 Rp 114.2K
269.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$18.42 Rp 331.5K
54.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$48.47 Rp 872.5K
28.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$15.64 Rp 281.5K
83.38%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$3.85 Rp 69.2K
32.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$448 Rp 8.1M
-55.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$5,127 Rp 92.3M
-23.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$45.03 Rp 810.6K
-1.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$34.68 Rp 624.2K
19.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$79.5 Rp 1.4M
-8.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$77.1 Rp 1.4M
16.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$919 Rp 16.5M
6.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$563 Rp 10.1M
-33.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$2,936 Rp 52.8M
-42.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,419 Rp 25.5M
-22.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$2,244 Rp 40.4M
75.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$1,869 Rp 33.6M
228.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Kuta, Bali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 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 17, 2026

Last update for Kuta, Bali: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Kuta, Bali
$563 50.9% $190
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Kuta, Bali
$275 6.4% $16
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Kuta, Bali
$95 52.6% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Kuta, Bali
$105 23.7% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Kuta, Bali
$106 4.8% $5.3
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Kuta, Bali
$56 22.4% $16
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Kuta, Bali
$13 75.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $919 in Kuta, Bali. 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $31.00 in Kuta, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $275 in Kuta, Bali – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇩 Kuta, Bali
🕒 Local time
19:22 7:22 PM
08:22 8:22 AM
13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
57,304
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Kuta, Bali 17,290 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Kuta, Bali

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 Kuta, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Kuta, Bali?
Kuta, Bali costs about 1% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Kuta, Bali?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,818 in Kuta, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Kuta, Bali?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Kuta, Bali?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $31.00 in Kuta, Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Kuta, Bali?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,212 in Kuta, Bali. That's a gap of about 1%.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Kuta, Bali?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kuta, Bali at $1,212. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuta, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Kuta, Bali?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,212 in Kuta, Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Kuta, Bali?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuta, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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