Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Altstätten and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,362 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index
59

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

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Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,362 per month in Altstätten vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Altstätten $3,362
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,134 per month in Altstätten vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Altstätten $5,134
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,905 per month in Altstätten vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Altstätten $6,905
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Altstätten costs about 178% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Altstätten sits 149% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.51 CHF 24.30

$10.76 MX$199

174.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 CHF 97.2

$43.03 MX$795

174.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.80 CHF 14.66

$11.79 MX$218

50.98%

Cappuccino

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$3.87 MX$71.4

53.49%

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

$5.13 CHF 4.22

$1.37 MX$25.29

274.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 CHF 4.01

$0.84 MX$15.44

478.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 CHF 7.62

$3.10 MX$57.3

198.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$5.07 MX$93.6

44.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.44 MX$26.55

52.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 CHF 2.93

$2.23 MX$41.23

59.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.03

$1.47 MX$27.17

150.34%

Eggs

$7.71 CHF 6.35

$2.53 MX$46.71

204.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.63 CHF 21.11

$7.30 MX$135

251.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.49 CHF 23.47

$7.86 MX$145

262.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.80 CHF 33.60

$12.79 MX$236

219.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 CHF 2.96

$2.90 MX$53.6

24.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 CHF 1.67

$1.44 MX$26.53

40.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.21

$2.55 MX$47.07

5.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 CHF 3.91

$2.06 MX$38.03

130.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$2.00 MX$36.97

-8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.73

$2.01 MX$37.07

4.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$1.19 MX$22.02

86.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.26 MX$23.23

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 CHF 8.83

$4.40 MX$81.4

143.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 CHF 10.63

$9.59 MX$177

34.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.32

$1.59 MX$29.41

77.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CHF 2.56

$2.81 MX$51.9

10.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 CHF 3.81

$0.57 MX$10.47

712.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.7

$27.82 MX$514

260.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 CHF 6.15

$4.98 MX$92.1

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 CHF 3.84

$3.50 MX$64.6

33.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$74.3 CHF 61.2

$5.40 MX$99.8

1276.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.84

$1.47 MX$27.08

52.38%

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

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

93.10%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

65.55%

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

$277 CHF 228

$84.2 MX$1,556

228.84%

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

$32.44 CHF 26.72

$23.99 MX$443

35.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 CHF 45.95

$29.02 MX$536

92.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.5 CHF 75.4

$63.0 MX$1,164

45.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.93 CHF 37.01

$29.14 MX$539

54.19%

Cinema Ticket

$22.65 CHF 18.66

$4.94 MX$91.3

358.50%

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

$2,646 CHF 2,179

$204 MX$3,763

1199.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

765.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$43.60 MX$806

228.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 CHF 47.30

$43.12 MX$797

33.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 123

$75.8 MX$1,400

97.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$185 CHF 152

$88.6 MX$1,637

108.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 CHF 1,374

$1,008 MX$18.6K

65.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 CHF 1,168

$374 MX$6,911

279.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 CHF 2,362

$1,708 MX$31.6K

67.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 CHF 2,000

$1,106 MX$20.4K

119.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

297.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

97.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

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 Altstätten: 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

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 73.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Altstätten

$590 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 56.2% $331

Eating Out

Altstätten

$462 13.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 56.2% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Altstätten

$365 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 62.4% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Altstätten

$241 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 53% $128

Getting Around

Altstätten

$150 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 64.9% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Altstätten

$137 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 46.7% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,668 in Altstätten 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $118 in Altstätten versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $590 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

22:43 10:43 PM

7 h behind Altstätten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,145

149,923

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Altstätten Playa del Carmen 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Altstätten
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

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

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,043 per month in Altstätten 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 Playa del Carmen, 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 $3,362 in Altstätten and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 178%.

Public transport costs about 261% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Altstätten at $3,362. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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