Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,563 in Bålsta, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,563

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,563 in Bålsta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Bålsta $1,563
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,445 in Bålsta versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Bålsta $2,445
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,328 in Bålsta versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Bålsta $3,328
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Bålsta is roughly 30% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bålsta is 15% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$10.92 MX$205

25.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 SEK 656

$43.37 MX$814

54.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 SEK 86.4

$11.78 MX$221

-25.30%

Cappuccino

$3.95 SEK 38.79

$3.81 MX$71.5

3.67%

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

$2.68 SEK 26.31

$1.28 MX$24.07

109.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.99

$0.78 MX$14.70

187.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 SEK 70.3

$3.17 MX$59.5

125.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$4.93 MX$92.7

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SEK 14.62

$1.41 MX$26.40

5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 SEK 19.66

$2.22 MX$41.62

-9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.42

$1.42 MX$26.61

147.18%

Eggs

$3.71 SEK 36.45

$2.52 MX$47.36

47.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 SEK 108

$7.26 MX$136

51.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.21 SEK 120

$7.70 MX$144

58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 SEK 108

$12.69 MX$238

-13.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.52

$2.78 MX$52.3

-10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 SEK 25.54

$1.37 MX$25.68

89.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 SEK 20.32

$2.55 MX$47.89

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.42

$2.12 MX$39.86

36.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.75

$1.94 MX$36.39

-22.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 SEK 11.59

$1.89 MX$35.41

-37.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 SEK 15.20

$1.15 MX$21.53

34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 SEK 9.73

$1.18 MX$22.13

-16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SEK 71.3

$4.30 MX$80.6

68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 SEK 100

$9.95 MX$187

2.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 SEK 15.07

$1.58 MX$29.73

-2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.26

$2.67 MX$50.1

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 SEK 32.18

$0.55 MX$10.39

496.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 776

$26.62 MX$500

197.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 59.2

$4.97 MX$93.3

21.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SEK 15.16

$3.33 MX$62.5

-53.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.4 SEK 760

$5.36 MX$101

1344.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 SEK 17.28

$1.44 MX$27.11

22.22%

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

$33.2K SEK 325.6K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

60.55%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.6K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

44.02%

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

$50.1 SEK 491

$84.8 MX$1,592

-40.96%

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

$20.16 SEK 198

$23.41 MX$439

-13.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.59 SEK 389

$28.66 MX$538

38.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 SEK 365

$57.1 MX$1,071

-34.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.37 SEK 259

$28.91 MX$543

-8.79%

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 SEK 127

$5.14 MX$96.5

151.56%

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

$121 SEK 1,189

$207 MX$3,878

-41.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,046 SEK 49.5K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

28.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 SEK 679

$43.35 MX$814

59.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.93 SEK 97.4

$41.44 MX$778

-76.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 SEK 794

$74.2 MX$1,393

9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 SEK 1,107

$89.3 MX$1,676

26.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SEK 7,861

$980 MX$18.4K

-18.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 5,982

$381 MX$7,150

60.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 SEK 13.4K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-19.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 SEK 10.1K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-4.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,003 SEK 39.3K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

1.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,823 SEK 27.7K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-54.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,868 SEK 38.0K

$735 MX$13.8K

426.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

11.45

-75.55%

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

Last update for Bålsta: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bålsta

$610 39%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 37.5% $229

Groceries & Markets

Bålsta

$299 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 14.7% $44

Eating Out

Bålsta

$253 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bålsta

$123 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 9.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bålsta

$110 7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 24.6% $27

Getting Around

Bålsta

$106 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 52.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Bålsta

$63 4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 6.8% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Bålsta and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Bålsta vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

6 h behind Bålsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,138

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bålsta Playa del Carmen 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bålsta
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Bålsta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bålsta is about 5.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $801 in Bålsta versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,563 per month in Bålsta versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 66% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,563 in Bålsta, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bålsta. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Bålsta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.