Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $624 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

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

Cost of Living Index in Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $624 in Sibolga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Sibolga $624

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $996 in Sibolga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sibolga $996

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,368 in Sibolga, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Sibolga $1,368

Playa del Carmen costs about 93% more than Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Sibolga are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 11% lower, Sibolga 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

535.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$14.03 Rp 254.5K

212.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$3.31 Rp 60.1K

256.19%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$1.45 Rp 26.4K

161.38%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$0.43 Rp 7,744

202.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$0.22 Rp 3,975

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$2.15 Rp 39.0K

46.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$3.37 Rp 61.2K

46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

103.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

83.75%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

70.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$6.98 Rp 126.7K

4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$2.95 Rp 53.5K

169.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$7.67 Rp 139.3K

67.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$2.14 Rp 38.8K

35.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

11.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$1.54 Rp 27.9K

61.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$1.26 Rp 22.8K

60.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$1.92 Rp 34.8K

-1.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

44.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$0.39 Rp 7,076

217.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$2.57 Rp 46.6K

66.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$20.63 Rp 374.4K

-52.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

-14.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$3.01 Rp 54.7K

-8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$0.23 Rp 4,148

121.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$11.34 Rp 205.9K

141.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$0.53 Rp 9,676

798.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$0.34 Rp 6,230

855.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$2.90 Rp 52.7K

85.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

88.89%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$22.6K Rp 410.2M

-6.15%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$32.5K Rp 590.6M

-28.51%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

30.33%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$4.29 Rp 77.9K

440.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$18.67 Rp 338.7K

47.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$18.29 Rp 332.0K

208.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$8.13 Rp 147.5K

246.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$2.73 Rp 49.5K

83.15%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$94.7 Rp 1.7M

118.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$8,087 Rp 146.8M

-35.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$43.28 Rp 785.5K

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$28.82 Rp 522.9K

47.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$76.0 Rp 1.4M

-4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$224 Rp 4.1M

343.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$146 Rp 2.7M

161.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$558 Rp 10.1M

199.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$365 Rp 6.6M

195.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$1,142 Rp 20.7M

242.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$803 Rp 14.6M

664.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sibolga: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Sibolga

$146 23.5% 61.7% $236

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Sibolga

$193 30.9% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Sibolga

$61 9.8% 69.6% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Sibolga

$87 14% 35.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Sibolga

$99 15.8% 11.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Sibolga

$24 3.8% 64.3% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sibolga

$15 2.3% 71.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $224 in Sibolga. 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 in Playa del Carmen versus $14 in Sibolga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $193 – making Sibolga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

18:23 6:23 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

95,471

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18,148 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,345 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sibolga 17,450 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $936 in Sibolga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibolga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $224 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $624 in Sibolga. That makes Sibolga about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Sibolga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sibolga, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Sibolga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sibolga – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Sibolga is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 48% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.