Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Timika

For one person, living is cheaper in Timika: $623 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 Timika
Learn more

Timika Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Timika

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $623 in Timika, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Timika $623

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,011 in Timika, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Timika $1,011

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,398 in Timika, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Timika $1,398

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

Both Playa del Carmen and Timika are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Timika 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$1.60 Rp 29.1K

582.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$13.94 Rp 253.3K

211.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$3.00 Rp 54.5K

292.67%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

155.70%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.43 Rp 7,890

197.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.26 Rp 4,689

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.18 Rp 39.7K

45.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$3.14 Rp 57.1K

57.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$1.29 Rp 23.5K

9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$1.16 Rp 21.0K

91.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$0.88 Rp 16.0K

61.36%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.42 Rp 25.9K

77.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$7.02 Rp 127.6K

3.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$2.61 Rp 47.5K

195.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$7.41 Rp 134.6K

71.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$2.49 Rp 45.3K

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.10 Rp 20.0K

24.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

65.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.35 Rp 24.6K

57.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.32 Rp 24.0K

46.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.06 Rp 37.5K

-8.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.40 Rp 7,272

195.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

58.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.19 Rp 330.6K

-45.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$1.66 Rp 30.1K

-4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.94 Rp 53.4K

-9.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.24 Rp 4,446

129.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$10.84 Rp 197.1K

145.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$0.47 Rp 8,629

957.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.30 Rp 5,366

1010.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.55 Rp 46.4K

110.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

80.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$25.5K Rp 462.6M

-18.80%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$35.6K Rp 646.4M

-34.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

39.92%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$3.93 Rp 71.4K

495.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$16.61 Rp 301.9K

72.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$18.97 Rp 344.8K

200.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$8.64 Rp 157.0K

234.61%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$2.68 Rp 48.8K

91.79%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$91.9 Rp 1.7M

124.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$8,848 Rp 160.8M

-55.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$44.34 Rp 805.8K

-2.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$25.46 Rp 462.7K

62.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$76.4 Rp 1.4M

-2.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$78.1 Rp 1.4M

14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$237 Rp 4.3M

313.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$155 Rp 2.8M

146.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$609 Rp 11.1M

180.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$403 Rp 7.3M

167.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,199 Rp 21.8M

228.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$784 Rp 14.2M

685.78%

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 Timika: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Timika

$155 24.8% 59.4% $226

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Timika

$189 30.3% 25.9% $66

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Timika

$60 9.6% 70.5% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Timika

$81 13% 40.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Timika

$101 16.2% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Timika

$24 3.9% 63.8% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Timika

$14 2.2% 72.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $237 in Timika. 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 $14 in Timika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $189 – making Timika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Timika

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

142,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Timika 14,940 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Timika

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 Timika: 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $935 in Timika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Timika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $237 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $623 in Timika. That’s a gap of about 93%.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Timika, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,204. In Timika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Timika is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 93% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.