Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
Learn more

Padang Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $620 in Padang.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Padang $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $996 in Padang.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Padang $996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,372 in Padang.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Padang $1,372

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 95% more expensive than in Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 10% lower, Padang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

556.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$15.72 Rp 283.0K

173.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$2.92 Rp 52.5K

303.77%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

168.75%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$0.41 Rp 7,394

234.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.22 Rp 3,925

281.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

44.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.74 Rp 67.3K

35.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

114.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

53.13%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

69.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$6.82 Rp 122.8K

7.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$2.88 Rp 51.8K

172.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

97.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

15.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

47.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

66.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

73.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

9.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

48.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.40 Rp 7,241

215.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

61.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$21.21 Rp 381.7K

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

-8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

-14.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$0.29 Rp 5,254

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$0.52 Rp 9,417

857.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.35 Rp 6,239

900.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$2.77 Rp 49.8K

94.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

54.74%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$20.4K Rp 366.6M

3.04%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.7K Rp 588.6M

-26.90%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$67.6 Rp 1.2M

24.59%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$4.97 Rp 89.5K

382.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$20.99 Rp 377.8K

38.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$19.55 Rp 351.9K

222.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$8.88 Rp 159.9K

228.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$2.60 Rp 46.7K

90.00%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

153.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$8,325 Rp 149.8M

-52.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$42.73 Rp 769.2K

2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$26.93 Rp 484.8K

60.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$63.8 Rp 1.1M

18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

22.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$206 Rp 3.7M

388.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$154 Rp 2.8M

143.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$494 Rp 8.9M

245.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$391 Rp 7.0M

183.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$1,124 Rp 20.2M

250.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$706 Rp 12.7M

774.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$165 Rp 3.0M

356.90%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Padang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Padang

$154 24.8% 58.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Padang

$192 31% 25.7% $67

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Padang

$60 9.7% 70.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Padang

$94 15.1% 31.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Padang

$93 14.9% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Padang

$25 4% 66% $48

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.6% 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 $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $206 in Padang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays 357% 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 $16.00 in Padang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $192 per month, with Padang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

15:03 3:03 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,000,096

💱 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 Padang 17,680 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Padang wins on cost – living expenses run 95% lower than in Playa del Carmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Padang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 357% 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 $206 in Padang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $620 in Padang – a 95% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Padang versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Padang but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Padang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Padang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $620 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Padang hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Padang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.