Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seminyak, Bali and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,589 in Seminyak, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Seminyak, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Seminyak, Bali
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seminyak, Bali 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 Seminyak, Bali and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Seminyak, Bali vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Seminyak, Bali $1,589
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,720 per month in Seminyak, Bali vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Seminyak, Bali $2,720
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,852 per month in Seminyak, Bali vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Seminyak, Bali $3,852
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Seminyak, Bali costs about 32% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Seminyak, Bali sits 17% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.81 Rp 68.5K
$10.86 MX$201
-64.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.81 Rp 752.6K
$44.21 MX$817
-5.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.50 Rp 117.0K
$11.76 MX$217
-44.73%
Cappuccino
$3.10 Rp 55.8K
$3.68 MX$68.0
-15.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 Rp 36.2K
$1.34 MX$24.79
50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 Rp 16.2K
$0.82 MX$15.24
9.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 Rp 54.6K
$3.06 MX$56.6
-0.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.24 Rp 94.4K
$4.94 MX$91.2
6.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 Rp 28.4K
$1.47 MX$27.17
7.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$2.22 MX$40.95
2.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 22.7K
$1.48 MX$27.32
-14.86%
Eggs
$2.15 Rp 38.7K
$2.49 MX$45.99
-13.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$18.28 Rp 329.1K
$7.52 MX$139
143.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.05 Rp 72.9K
$7.96 MX$147
-49.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.52 Rp 225.4K
$12.57 MX$232
-0.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.71 Rp 66.7K
$2.78 MX$51.3
33.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 Rp 28.6K
$1.43 MX$26.37
11.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 Rp 43.8K
$2.62 MX$48.37
-7.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 Rp 36.5K
$2.14 MX$39.49
-5.14%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 Rp 34.6K
$2.02 MX$37.38
-4.95%
Onion (1kg)
$2.52 Rp 45.4K
$1.99 MX$36.74
26.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 Rp 18.7K
$1.14 MX$21.01
-8.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 Rp 9,477
$1.20 MX$22.18
-55.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.29 Rp 41.3K
$4.26 MX$78.7
-46.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.29 Rp 419.2K
$10.02 MX$185
132.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 Rp 44.5K
$1.54 MX$28.41
60.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 Rp 54.5K
$2.66 MX$49.17
13.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,815
$0.53 MX$9.73
-49.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.17 Rp 165.1K
$27.51 MX$508
-66.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.51 Rp 9,205
$4.90 MX$90.6
-89.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 Rp 9,140
$3.43 MX$63.5
-85.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.70 Rp 48.6K
$5.38 MX$99.4
-49.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 Rp 17.0K
$1.45 MX$26.76
-35.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K Rp 502.3M
$21.2K MX$391.0K
31.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.1K Rp 668.0M
$23.0K MX$425.3K
61.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.9 Rp 1.5M
$85.4 MX$1,577
-0.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.62 Rp 119.2K
$23.46 MX$434
-71.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.11 Rp 344.0K
$28.43 MX$525
-32.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.8 Rp 1.1M
$62.2 MX$1,149
-0.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.59 Rp 370.6K
$28.68 MX$530
-28.21%
Cinema Ticket
$4.82 Rp 86.8K
$5.10 MX$94.3
-5.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$531 Rp 9.6M
$201 MX$3,715
164.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,238 Rp 112.3M
$3,947 MX$72.9K
58.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.78 Rp 842.0K
$44.39 MX$820
5.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.20 Rp 669.6K
$41.35 MX$764
-10.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.0 Rp 1.5M
$72.7 MX$1,344
12.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.7 Rp 1.5M
$89.6 MX$1,656
-8.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,404 Rp 25.3M
$979 MX$18.1K
43.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$858 Rp 15.4M
$373 MX$6,887
130.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,460 Rp 80.3M
$1,681 MX$31.1K
165.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,179 Rp 39.2M
$1,095 MX$20.2K
98.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 Rp 62.8M
$3,949 MX$73.0K
-11.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,898 Rp 52.2M
$6,137 MX$113.4K
-52.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seminyak, Bali
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.78
11.45
20.35%

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

Last update for Seminyak, Bali: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Seminyak, Bali
$858
Playa del Carmen
$373 56.6% $486
Groceries & Markets
Seminyak, Bali
$299
Playa del Carmen
$258 13.6% $41
Eating Out
Seminyak, Bali
$124
Playa del Carmen
$200 60.9% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Seminyak, Bali
$111
Playa del Carmen
$112 0.1% $0.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seminyak, Bali
$111
Playa del Carmen
$137 24.1% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Seminyak, Bali
$71
Playa del Carmen
$72 1.3% $1
Getting Around
Seminyak, Bali
$13
Playa del Carmen
$52 289% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,404 in Seminyak, Bali versus $979 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Seminyak, Bali versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Seminyak, Bali vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Seminyak, Bali
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
07:18 7:18 AM
18:18 6:18 PM
13 h behind Seminyak, Bali
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seminyak, Bali Playa del Carmen 17,280 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seminyak, Bali
  • 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
Seminyak, Bali vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Seminyak, Bali?
Yes – Seminyak, Bali is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,383 per month in Seminyak, Bali and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Seminyak, Bali and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Seminyak, Bali and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 32%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 200% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Seminyak, Bali or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Seminyak, Bali at $1,589. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seminyak, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Seminyak, Bali or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Seminyak, Bali or Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Seminyak, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Seminyak, Bali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?