Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $640 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
Learn more

Makassar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $640 in Makassar.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Makassar $640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $989 in Makassar.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Makassar $989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,338 in Makassar.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Makassar $1,338

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 88% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Makassar 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

578.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$805

$9.07 Rp 164.8K

378.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.09 Rp 56.2K

281.23%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.7

$1.98 Rp 36.0K

92.42%

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

$1.28 MX$23.81

$0.49 Rp 8,981

161.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.54

$0.33 Rp 5,947

136.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$58.8

$2.54 Rp 46.2K

24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.7

$3.18 Rp 57.8K

55.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.12

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

-9.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.17

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

117.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.32

$0.57 Rp 10.4K

149.12%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.85

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.43 Rp 116.8K

12.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.48 Rp 63.2K

121.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$5.38 Rp 97.8K

135.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.7

$2.35 Rp 42.7K

18.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$1.36 Rp 24.6K

0.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.37

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

35.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.43

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.00

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

53.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.02

$1.48 Rp 27.0K

27.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.29

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.89

$0.41 Rp 7,416

187.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$79.8

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

58.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$22.04 Rp 400.2K

-54.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.41

$1.79 Rp 32.5K

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.60

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

-8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.28

$0.29 Rp 5,304

89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$494

$11.90 Rp 216.0K

123.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.3

$0.49 Rp 8,832

914.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$61.9

$0.34 Rp 6,238

879.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.5

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

90.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.82

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

87.01%

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

$20.7K MX$383.8K

$22.9K Rp 415.9M

-9.76%

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

$23.5K MX$435.8K

$32.4K Rp 588.5M

-27.59%

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

$84.8 MX$1,575

$89.6 Rp 1.6M

-5.34%

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

$23.41 MX$435

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

793.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$532

$24.31 Rp 441.5K

17.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,059

$21.48 Rp 390.0K

165.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$537

$8.36 Rp 151.9K

245.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.4

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

52.98%

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

$207 MX$3,836

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

125.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$72.9K

$3,715 Rp 67.5M

5.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$805

$27.01 Rp 490.6K

60.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$770

$22.77 Rp 413.6K

81.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,378

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,657

$39.35 Rp 714.6K

126.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$225 Rp 4.1M

335.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,072

$144 Rp 2.6M

164.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.7K

$553 Rp 10.0M

209.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$363 Rp 6.6M

196.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.2K

$1,146 Rp 20.8M

244.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.4K

$795 Rp 14.4M

674.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.6K

$211 Rp 3.8M

247.73%

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 Makassar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Makassar

$144 22.5% 62.2% $237

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Makassar

$194 30.3% 23.9% $61

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Makassar

$68 10.7% 66.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Makassar

$116 18.2% 14.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Makassar

$74 11.5% 34.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 58.1% $39

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Makassar

$15 2.4% 69.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $225 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $9 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $194 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,427,619

💱 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 Makassar 16,680 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Playa del Carmen is about 3.5 times higher, 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $225 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 55% less than in Playa del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $92 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $640 in Makassar versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $800 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.