Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tanjung Pandan and Playa del Carmen

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Pandan
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Tanjung Pandan Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Tanjung Pandan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$617

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Tanjung Pandan $617
Playa del Carmen $1,204

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

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

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

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

Tanjung Pandan is about 49% cheaper than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.59 Rp 28.9K

$10.92 MX$203

-85.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.06 Rp 273.3K

$43.37 MX$807

-65.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.59 Rp 65.2K

$11.78 MX$219

-69.52%

Cappuccino

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

$3.81 MX$70.9

-60.63%

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

$0.42 Rp 7,687

$1.28 MX$23.87

-67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,943

$0.78 MX$14.57

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 Rp 37.0K

$3.17 MX$59.0

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 60.4K

$4.93 MX$91.9

-32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Rp 19.2K

$1.41 MX$26.18

-24.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

$2.22 MX$41.27

-54.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 17.1K

$1.42 MX$26.38

-33.80%

Eggs

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

$2.52 MX$46.96

-50.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 Rp 115.5K

$7.26 MX$135

-12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

$7.70 MX$143

-57.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 Rp 154.1K

$12.69 MX$236

-33.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 35.0K

$2.78 MX$51.8

-30.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.37 MX$25.47

-17.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.9K

$2.55 MX$47.49

-30.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.5K

$2.12 MX$39.52

-41.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Rp 19.7K

$1.94 MX$36.08

-44.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

$1.89 MX$35.11

0.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

$1.15 MX$21.34

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,297

$1.18 MX$21.95

-66.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 Rp 45.6K

$4.30 MX$80.0

-41.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.14 Rp 419.9K

$9.95 MX$185

132.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.58 MX$29.48

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 Rp 61.3K

$2.67 MX$49.72

26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,557

$0.55 MX$10.30

-54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.41 Rp 188.8K

$26.62 MX$495

-60.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,524

$4.97 MX$92.5

-90.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 Rp 6,501

$3.33 MX$62.0

-89.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 Rp 44.9K

$5.36 MX$99.7

-53.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 16.1K

$1.44 MX$26.88

-38.89%

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

$20.2K Rp 366.3M

$20.7K MX$384.7K

-2.30%

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

$30.6K Rp 555.6M

$23.5K MX$436.8K

30.49%

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

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

$84.8 MX$1,578

-28.62%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.5K

$23.41 MX$436

-81.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.00 Rp 362.9K

$28.66 MX$533

-30.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.60 Rp 355.7K

$57.1 MX$1,062

-65.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.42 Rp 152.8K

$28.91 MX$538

-70.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.08 Rp 55.9K

$5.14 MX$95.7

-40.08%

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

$88.3 Rp 1.6M

$207 MX$3,845

-57.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,394 Rp 134.2M

$3,927 MX$73.1K

88.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.55 Rp 735.7K

$43.35 MX$807

-6.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.32 Rp 495.8K

$41.44 MX$771

-34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 Rp 1.5M

$74.2 MX$1,381

9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 Rp 1.1M

$89.3 MX$1,661

-32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$204 Rp 3.7M

$980 MX$18.2K

-79.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 Rp 2.6M

$381 MX$7,089

-62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 Rp 9.7M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-68.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 Rp 6.9M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-64.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,263 Rp 22.9M

$3,943 MX$73.4K

-67.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$883 Rp 16.0M

$6,158 MX$114.6K

-85.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

11.45

-17.38%

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

Last update for Tanjung Pandan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tanjung Pandan

$197 31.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.3% $58

Accommodation & Living

Tanjung Pandan

$141 22.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 170% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Tanjung Pandan

$94 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 18.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tanjung Pandan

$85 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.5% $52

Eating Out

Tanjung Pandan

$61 9.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 232% $141

Sport & Entertainment

Tanjung Pandan

$26 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 161% $42

Getting Around

Tanjung Pandan

$14 2.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 269% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $204 in Tanjung Pandan versus $980 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 $15 in Tanjung Pandan versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $255 – making Tanjung Pandan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Tanjung Pandan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

08:54 8:54 AM

12 h behind Tanjung Pandan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,062

149,923

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,281 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tanjung Pandan
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

Tanjung Pandan vs Playa del Carmen: 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 $926 per month in Tanjung Pandan and $1,806 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 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 $617 in Tanjung Pandan and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. 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.