Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
Learn more

Arbon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Arbon costs about 186% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arbon sits 157% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$10.76 MX$199

174.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$43.03 MX$795

233.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$11.79 MX$218

60.73%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$3.87 MX$71.4

57.88%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$1.37 MX$25.29

318.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.84 MX$15.44

505.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$3.10 MX$57.3

190.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$5.07 MX$93.6

21.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.44 MX$26.55

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$2.23 MX$41.23

41.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$1.47 MX$27.17

157.82%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$2.53 MX$46.71

211.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$7.30 MX$135

244.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$7.86 MX$145

261.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$12.79 MX$236

221.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.90 MX$53.6

17.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.44 MX$26.53

38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$2.55 MX$47.07

-6.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$2.06 MX$38.03

156.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$2.00 MX$36.97

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$2.01 MX$37.07

8.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.19 MX$22.02

91.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$1.26 MX$23.23

-3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$4.40 MX$81.4

141.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$9.59 MX$177

71.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$1.59 MX$29.41

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$2.81 MX$51.9

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$0.57 MX$10.47

743.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$27.82 MX$514

245.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$4.98 MX$92.1

30.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$3.50 MX$64.6

35.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$5.40 MX$99.8

569.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$1.47 MX$27.08

55.78%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

64.17%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

64.33%

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

$275 CHF 227

$84.2 MX$1,556

227.03%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$23.99 MX$443

58.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$29.02 MX$536

87.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$63.0 MX$1,164

42.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$29.14 MX$539

34.04%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$4.94 MX$91.3

374.29%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$204 MX$3,763

1004.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

694.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$43.60 MX$806

228.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$43.12 MX$797

50.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$75.8 MX$1,400

89.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$88.6 MX$1,637

100.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$1,008 MX$18.6K

54.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$374 MX$6,911

306.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$1,708 MX$31.6K

70.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$1,106 MX$20.4K

109.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

253.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

121.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$754 MX$13.9K

1368.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

11.45

-83.41%

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

Last update for Arbon: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 75.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 56.1% $330

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 56.7% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 62.7% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 52.5% $125

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 63.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 46.8% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon 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 1369% higher in Arbon, 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 $144 in Arbon versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

7 h behind Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

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 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).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arbon Playa del Carmen 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 186% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon 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 $3,464 in Arbon and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 186%.

Public transport costs about 245% 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 Arbon at $3,464. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.