Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tanjung Pinang

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pinang: $622 a month against $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Tanjung Pinang
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Tanjung Pinang Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Tanjung Pinang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $622 in Tanjung Pinang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Tanjung Pinang $622

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $984 in Tanjung Pinang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Tanjung Pinang $984

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,346 in Tanjung Pinang, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Tanjung Pinang $1,346

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$3.30 Rp 59.8K

223.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$14.72 Rp 267.0K

197.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$3.29 Rp 59.6K

258.36%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

152.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$0.46 Rp 8,337

182.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.22 Rp 3,978

277.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

67.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$3.03 Rp 55.0K

62.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.11 Rp 20.1K

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

109.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$0.77 Rp 14.1K

90.91%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

72.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$6.23 Rp 113.0K

17.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$2.84 Rp 51.6K

179.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$6.87 Rp 124.6K

87.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$2.45 Rp 44.4K

18.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.38 Rp 25.0K

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$1.43 Rp 25.9K

74.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$1.39 Rp 25.2K

46.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

83.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

23.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$0.42 Rp 7,606

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$2.59 Rp 47.0K

64.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$21.36 Rp 387.5K

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$1.65 Rp 29.9K

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.88 Rp 52.2K

-4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$0.27 Rp 4,843

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$11.89 Rp 215.7K

130.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$0.52 Rp 9,493

815.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.32 Rp 5,778

915.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$3.19 Rp 57.9K

68.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$0.65 Rp 11.7K

135.38%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$22.1K Rp 400.1M

-3.82%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$35.8K Rp 649.4M

-35.02%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

23.69%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$4.51 Rp 81.8K

414.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$18.62 Rp 337.7K

48.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$16.88 Rp 306.2K

234.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$8.94 Rp 162.1K

215.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$2.83 Rp 51.3K

76.68%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$79.8 Rp 1.4M

159.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$12.0K Rp 218.2M

-56.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$45.74 Rp 829.7K

-5.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$29.73 Rp 539.4K

43.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$64.2 Rp 1.2M

13.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$236 Rp 4.3M

321.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$134 Rp 2.4M

184.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$607 Rp 11.0M

175.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$319 Rp 5.8M

238.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$1,290 Rp 23.4M

203.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$710 Rp 12.9M

764.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$193 Rp 3.5M

330.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

9.45

21.16%

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 Tanjung Pinang: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Tanjung Pinang

$134 21.6% 64.9% $248

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Tanjung Pinang

$189 30.5% 26.4% $68

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Tanjung Pinang

$72 11.7% 63.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Tanjung Pinang

$91 14.6% 32.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Tanjung Pinang

$98 15.7% 12.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Tanjung Pinang

$23 3.6% 66.1% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Tanjung Pinang

$15 2.4% 70.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $236 in Tanjung Pinang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Playa del Carmen are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $15 in Tanjung Pinang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $189 – making Tanjung Pinang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Tanjung Pinang

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

03:56 3:56 AM

12 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

239,854

💱 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,140 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,286 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Tanjung Pinang 17,310 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tanjung Pinang

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 Pinang: 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 $933 in Tanjung Pinang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanjung Pinang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $236 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $622 in Tanjung Pinang. That makes Tanjung Pinang about 48% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Tanjung Pinang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Tanjung Pinang, where all-in costs run around $622, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,202. In Tanjung Pinang 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 Pinang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Tanjung Pinang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.