Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acquarossa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,452 in Acquarossa, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Acquarossa
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,452
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,452 in Acquarossa versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Acquarossa $3,452
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,397 in Acquarossa versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Acquarossa $5,397
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,342 in Acquarossa versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Acquarossa $7,342
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Acquarossa is roughly 185% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Acquarossa is 156% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$35.09 CHF 28.90
$10.76 MX$199
226.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$145 CHF 119
$43.03 MX$795
237.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.71 CHF 14.59
$11.79 MX$218
50.21%
Cappuccino
$6.86 CHF 5.65
$3.87 MX$71.4
77.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.84 CHF 4.81
$1.37 MX$25.29
326.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 CHF 4.46
$0.84 MX$15.44
544.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.80 CHF 8.07
$3.10 MX$57.3
216.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.57 CHF 7.06
$5.07 MX$93.6
69.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 CHF 1.80
$1.44 MX$26.55
51.39%
White Bread (500g)
$3.84 CHF 3.16
$2.23 MX$41.23
72.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.83 CHF 3.15
$1.47 MX$27.17
160.54%
Eggs
$8.35 CHF 6.88
$2.53 MX$46.71
230.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.93 CHF 22.18
$7.30 MX$135
268.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.71 CHF 22.82
$7.86 MX$145
252.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$61.7 CHF 50.9
$12.79 MX$236
382.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.08 CHF 3.36
$2.90 MX$53.6
40.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.79 CHF 2.29
$1.44 MX$26.53
93.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.49 CHF 2.88
$2.55 MX$47.07
36.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.49 CHF 3.70
$2.06 MX$38.03
117.96%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 CHF 2.12
$2.00 MX$36.97
28.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 CHF 1.81
$2.01 MX$37.07
9.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 CHF 2.09
$1.19 MX$22.02
113.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 CHF 1.06
$1.26 MX$23.23
1.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.99 CHF 9.06
$4.40 MX$81.4
149.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.74 CHF 11.32
$9.59 MX$177
43.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.70 CHF 2.22
$1.59 MX$29.41
69.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 CHF 2.60
$2.81 MX$51.9
12.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.46 CHF 3.67
$0.57 MX$10.47
682.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$86.2 CHF 71.0
$27.82 MX$514
209.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.31 CHF 6.85
$4.98 MX$92.1
66.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.48 CHF 3.69
$3.50 MX$64.6
28.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$89.4 CHF 73.7
$5.40 MX$99.8
1556.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.40 CHF 1.98
$1.47 MX$27.08
63.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K CHF 31.9K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
84.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.7K CHF 31.9K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
61.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$272 CHF 224
$84.2 MX$1,556
222.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.70 CHF 29.40
$23.99 MX$443
48.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.2 CHF 45.44
$29.02 MX$536
90.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.0 CHF 77.4
$63.0 MX$1,164
49.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$39.31 CHF 32.37
$29.14 MX$539
34.90%
Cinema Ticket
$24.28 CHF 20.00
$4.94 MX$91.3
391.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,551 CHF 2,925
$204 MX$3,763
1644.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$41.5K CHF 34.1K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
951.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$141 CHF 116
$43.60 MX$806
222.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.5 CHF 48.18
$43.12 MX$797
35.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$161 CHF 133
$75.8 MX$1,400
112.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$257 CHF 212
$88.6 MX$1,637
190.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,805 CHF 1,486
$1,008 MX$18.6K
78.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,335 CHF 1,100
$374 MX$6,911
256.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,264 CHF 2,688
$1,708 MX$31.6K
91.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,315 CHF 1,907
$1,106 MX$20.4K
109.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$14.1K CHF 11.6K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
258.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.7K CHF 8,838
$6,169 MX$114.0K
73.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Acquarossa
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$11.9K CHF 9,827
$754 MX$13.9K
1482.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.07
11.45
-81.92%

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

Last update for Acquarossa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Acquarossa
$1.3K
Playa del Carmen
$374 72% $961
Groceries & Markets
Acquarossa
$672
Playa del Carmen
$258 61.5% $414
Eating Out
Acquarossa
$527
Playa del Carmen
$202 61.6% $325
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Acquarossa
$363
Playa del Carmen
$137 62.2% $225
Clothing & Footwear
Acquarossa
$278
Playa del Carmen
$113 59.3% $165
Sport & Entertainment
Acquarossa
$143
Playa del Carmen
$73 48.9% $70
Getting Around
Acquarossa
$135
Playa del Carmen
$53 61% $82

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,805 in Acquarossa and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acquarossa pays 1482% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $145 in Acquarossa vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $672 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Acquarossa
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
06:19 6:19 AM
23:19 11:19 PM
7 h behind Acquarossa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,900
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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
  • Acquarossa Playa del Carmen 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Acquarossa
  • 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
Acquarossa vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Acquarossa or Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 185% lower than in Acquarossa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Acquarossa or in Playa del Carmen?
Average pay runs 1482% higher in Acquarossa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Acquarossa compared to Playa del Carmen?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,805 in Acquarossa versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Acquarossa or in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 160% higher in Acquarossa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Acquarossa and in Playa del Carmen?
Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $145 in Acquarossa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Acquarossa or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,452 in Acquarossa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Acquarossa. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Acquarossa or Playa del Carmen?
Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.
How safe is Acquarossa compared to Playa del Carmen?
Safety-wise, Acquarossa and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 185% less than in Acquarossa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Acquarossa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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