Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
Learn more

Medan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $613 in Medan.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $940 in Medan.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,266 in Medan.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Medan $1,266

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 97% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

529.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

418.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

299.66%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

152.94%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.35 Rp 6,215

291.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.25 Rp 4,534

236.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

86.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

41.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

29.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

88.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

81.48%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

118.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

101.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

37.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

79.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

121.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

138.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.38 Rp 6,905

213.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.44 Rp 7,872

186.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

53.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-38.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-6.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.27 Rp 4,816

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

369.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.51 Rp 9,186

876.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.19 Rp 3,465

1742.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

83.75%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-14.93%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-25.79%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-0.74%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

656.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

271.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

246.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

50.15%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$112 Rp 2.0M

82.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

132.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-19.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

11.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$108 Rp 1.9M

-29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$111 Rp 2.0M

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$233 Rp 4.2M

333.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

316.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$494 Rp 8.9M

245.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$212 Rp 3.8M

422.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

240.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$560 Rp 10.1M

1002.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$215 Rp 3.9M

250.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.25

23.78%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Medan

$90 14.6% 76% $284

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Medan

$181 29.5% 30% $78

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Medan

$59 9.6% 71% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Medan

$112 18.2% 18.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Medan

$140 22.9% 24.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Medan

$24 3.8% 67.7% $49

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 83.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 250% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

16:34 4:34 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Medan 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Medan

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 Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 250% higher in Playa del Carmen, 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Medan runs roughly 369% less than in Playa del Carmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $613 in Medan versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Medan but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Medan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Medan 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 Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 97% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.