Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salatiga and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Salatiga: $456 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Salatiga
Learn more

Salatiga Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Salatiga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$456

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Salatiga and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $456 per month in Salatiga vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salatiga $456
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $675 per month in Salatiga vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salatiga $675
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $893 per month in Salatiga vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Salatiga $893
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Salatiga is about 62% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Salatiga and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Salatiga 66% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

$10.76 MX$198

-91.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.95 Rp 161.1K

$43.03 MX$792

-79.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$11.79 MX$217

-76.84%

Cappuccino

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$3.87 MX$71.1

-63.05%

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

$0.30 Rp 5,485

$1.37 MX$25.18

-78.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 Rp 3,381

$0.84 MX$15.38

-77.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$3.10 MX$57.0

-38.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 Rp 76.1K

$5.07 MX$93.2

-16.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Rp 21.8K

$1.44 MX$26.43

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 Rp 24.0K

$2.23 MX$41.05

-40.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.85 Rp 15.4K

$1.47 MX$27.05

-42.18%

Eggs

$1.20 Rp 21.6K

$2.53 MX$46.51

-52.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 Rp 138.6K

$7.30 MX$134

5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 Rp 55.7K

$7.86 MX$145

-60.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 Rp 137.6K

$12.79 MX$235

-40.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 Rp 36.2K

$2.90 MX$53.4

-30.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.44 MX$26.41

-11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$2.55 MX$46.87

-28.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 Rp 27.2K

$2.06 MX$37.86

-26.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.6K

$2.00 MX$36.81

-34.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$2.01 MX$36.91

-4.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 Rp 6,213

$1.19 MX$21.92

-70.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 Rp 6,413

$1.26 MX$23.12

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$4.40 MX$81.0

-55.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.70 Rp 444.6K

$9.59 MX$176

157.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 Rp 30.0K

$1.59 MX$29.29

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.5K

$2.81 MX$51.7

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,744

$0.57 MX$10.42

-63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,900

$4.98 MX$91.7

-91.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,736

$3.50 MX$64.4

-87.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Rp 49.1K

$5.40 MX$99.4

-49.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.67 Rp 12.0K

$1.47 MX$26.96

-54.42%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.5M

$21.0K MX$386.1K

17.40%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.2M

$23.9K MX$439.9K

34.60%

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

$87.8 Rp 1.6M

$84.2 MX$1,549

4.20%

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

$4.59 Rp 82.7K

$23.99 MX$441

-80.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.52 Rp 351.3K

$29.02 MX$534

-32.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.25 Rp 202.4K

$63.0 MX$1,159

-82.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$536

Cinema Ticket

$2.00 Rp 36.0K

$4.94 MX$90.9

-59.51%

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

$283 Rp 5.1M

$204 MX$3,746

38.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,389 Rp 169.0M

$3,941 MX$72.5K

138.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.60 Rp 406.8K

$43.60 MX$802

-48.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.36 Rp 204.4K

$43.12 MX$793

-73.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.96 Rp 809.2K

$75.8 MX$1,394

-40.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 Rp 1.3M

$88.6 MX$1,630

-17.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$165 Rp 3.0M

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-83.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,881

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$113.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$754 MX$13.9K

-80.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

11.45

-34.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Salatiga: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salatiga

$205 44.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 26.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salatiga

$112 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 22.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Salatiga

$69 15%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 64.9% $44

Eating Out

Salatiga

$52 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 288% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Salatiga

$15 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 378% $58

Getting Around

Salatiga

$3.4 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 1437% $49

Accommodation & Living

Salatiga

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $165 in Salatiga versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 409% higher in Playa del Carmen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Salatiga versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $258 – making Salatiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Salatiga

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

21:07 9:07 PM

12 h behind Salatiga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,268 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.4 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salatiga Playa del Carmen 17,610 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Salatiga
Playa del Carmen

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

Salatiga vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Carmen is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $684 per month in Salatiga and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salatiga, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $456 in Salatiga and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 165%.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Salatiga and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Salatiga, where all-in costs run around $456, than in Playa del Carmen at $1,210. In Salatiga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Carmen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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