Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Metro, Lampung

For one person, living is cheaper in Metro, Lampung: $734 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Metro, Lampung, Indonesia
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Metro, Lampung
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$734
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Metro, Lampung

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $734 in Metro, Lampung, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Metro, Lampung $734

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,159 in Metro, Lampung, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Metro, Lampung $1,159

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,583 in Metro, Lampung, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Metro, Lampung $1,583

Playa del Carmen costs about 64% more than Metro, Lampung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Metro, Lampung are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Metro, Lampung 46% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$2.79 Rp 50.6K
291.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$16.35 Rp 296.3K
165.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$3.26 Rp 59.1K
261.35%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$1.93 Rp 34.9K
97.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$0.45 Rp 8,101
184.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$0.26 Rp 4,720
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$2.43 Rp 44.0K
30.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$3.92 Rp 71.1K
25.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$1.34 Rp 24.3K
5.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$1.06 Rp 19.2K
109.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$0.84 Rp 15.2K
69.05%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$1.85 Rp 33.5K
36.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$9.24 Rp 167.4K
-21.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$3.04 Rp 55.0K
153.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$7.62 Rp 138.2K
66.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$2.74 Rp 49.7K
1.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$1.36 Rp 24.6K
0.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$2.49 Rp 45.1K
2.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$1.34 Rp 24.2K
58.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$1.37 Rp 24.9K
41.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$2.07 Rp 37.4K
-8.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$0.90 Rp 16.3K
27.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$0.46 Rp 8,396
156.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$2.70 Rp 48.9K
59.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$21.20 Rp 384.2K
-53.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$2.05 Rp 37.2K
-22.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$3.00 Rp 54.4K
-11.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$0.24 Rp 4,335
129.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$11.75 Rp 213.0K
126.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$0.49 Rp 8,872
914.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$0.32 Rp 5,708
940.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$3.39 Rp 61.4K
58.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$0.80 Rp 14.6K
80.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$27.6K Rp 500.6M
-25.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$32.5K Rp 589.5M
-27.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$107 Rp 1.9M
-20.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$6.13 Rp 111.1K
281.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$18.69 Rp 338.6K
53.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$15.56 Rp 281.9K
266.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$7.91 Rp 143.3K
265.49%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$3.09 Rp 56.1K
66.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$94.2 Rp 1.7M
119.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
$8,017 Rp 145.3M
-51.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$57.7 Rp 1.0M
-24.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$28.04 Rp 508.0K
47.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$72.3 Rp 1.3M
2.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$106 Rp 1.9M
-15.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$201 Rp 3.6M
386.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$154 Rp 2.8M
147.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$554 Rp 10.0M
208.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$393 Rp 7.1M
173.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$1,135 Rp 20.6M
247.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$879 Rp 15.9M
600.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Metro, Lampung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
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 Metro, Lampung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Metro, Lampung
$154 59.5% $227
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Metro, Lampung
$215 15.6% $40
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Metro, Lampung
$78 61.4% $124
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Metro, Lampung
$132 3.7% $5.1
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Metro, Lampung
$119 6.2% $6.9
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Metro, Lampung
$22 67.7% $46
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Metro, Lampung
$15 70.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $201 in Metro, Lampung. 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 $16 in Metro, Lampung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $215 – making Metro, Lampung the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇮🇩 Metro, Lampung
🕒 Local time
01:17 1:17 AM
13:17 1:17 PM
12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
149,361
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Metro, Lampung 17,830 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Metro, Lampung

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 Metro, Lampung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Metro, Lampung cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,101 in Metro, Lampung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Metro, Lampung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $201 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $94 in Metro, Lampung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Playa del Carmen and in Metro, Lampung?
Groceries cost about 18% more in Playa del Carmen, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Metro, Lampung?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Metro, Lampung, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Metro, Lampung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Metro, Lampung more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Metro, Lampung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Metro, Lampung is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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