Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tanjung Pandan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pandan: $617 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Pandan
Learn more

Tanjung Pandan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tanjung Pandan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Tanjung Pandan

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $617 in Tanjung Pandan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tanjung Pandan $617

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,000 in Tanjung Pandan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tanjung Pandan $1,000

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,383 in Tanjung Pandan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Tanjung Pandan $1,383

Playa del Carmen costs about 95% more than Tanjung Pandan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Tanjung Pandan are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Tanjung Pandan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

586.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$807

$15.06 Rp 273.3K

187.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$3.59 Rp 65.2K

228.13%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$70.9

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

154.00%

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

$1.28 MX$23.87

$0.42 Rp 7,687

204.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.57

$0.22 Rp 3,943

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$3.33 Rp 60.4K

48.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.18

$1.06 Rp 19.2K

33.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.27

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

122.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.38

$0.94 Rp 17.1K

51.06%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$46.96

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

101.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$6.37 Rp 115.5K

13.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

136.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$8.49 Rp 154.1K

49.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.8

$1.93 Rp 35.0K

44.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.47

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

21.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.49

$1.76 Rp 31.9K

44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.52

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

70.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.08

$1.08 Rp 19.7K

79.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.11

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

-0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.34

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.95

$0.40 Rp 7,297

195.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$2.51 Rp 45.6K

71.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$23.14 Rp 419.9K

-57.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.48

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.72

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.30

$0.25 Rp 4,557

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$495

$10.41 Rp 188.8K

155.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.5

$0.47 Rp 8,524

957.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.0

$0.36 Rp 6,501

825.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.7

$2.47 Rp 44.9K

117.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.88

$0.88 Rp 16.1K

63.64%

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

$20.7K MX$384.7K

$20.2K Rp 366.3M

2.36%

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

$23.5K MX$436.8K

$30.6K Rp 555.6M

-23.37%

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

$84.8 MX$1,578

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

40.10%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$4.22 Rp 76.5K

454.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$533

$20.00 Rp 362.9K

43.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,062

$19.60 Rp 355.7K

191.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$538

$8.42 Rp 152.8K

243.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$3.08 Rp 55.9K

66.88%

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

$207 MX$3,845

$88.3 Rp 1.6M

134.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.1K

$7,394 Rp 134.2M

-46.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$807

$40.55 Rp 735.7K

6.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$771

$27.32 Rp 495.8K

51.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,381

$81.0 Rp 1.5M

-8.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,661

$60.3 Rp 1.1M

47.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$204 Rp 3.7M

380.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,089

$141 Rp 2.6M

169.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$533 Rp 9.7M

220.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$379 Rp 6.9M

183.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.4K

$1,263 Rp 22.9M

212.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.6K

$883 Rp 16.0M

597.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tanjung Pandan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Tanjung Pandan

$141 22.9% 63% $240

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Tanjung Pandan

$197 31.9% 22.7% $58

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Tanjung Pandan

$61 9.9% 69.9% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tanjung Pandan

$85 13.7% 38.1% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tanjung Pandan

$94 15.3% 15.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Tanjung Pandan

$26 4.2% 61.7% $42

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tanjung Pandan

$14 2.2% 72.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $204 in Tanjung Pandan. 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 $15 in Tanjung Pandan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $197 – making Tanjung Pandan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Tanjung Pandan

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

103,062

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tanjung Pandan 17,460 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tanjung Pandan

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 Tanjung Pandan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $926 in Tanjung Pandan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanjung Pandan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $617 in Tanjung Pandan. That’s a gap of about 95%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Tanjung Pandan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tanjung Pandan, where all-in costs run around $617, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Tanjung Pandan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Tanjung Pandan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 95% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.