Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzers and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,201 in Balzers, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Balzers
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Balzers Living Index
58

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

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Balzers

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,201

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,201 in Balzers versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Balzers $3,201
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,015 in Balzers versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Balzers $5,015
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,828 in Balzers versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Balzers $6,828
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Balzers is roughly 166% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balzers is 135% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.80 CHF 24.67

$10.92 MX$203

172.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$43.37 MX$808

181.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$21.58 CHF 17.87

$11.78 MX$219

83.19%

Cappuccino

$5.38 CHF 4.45

$3.81 MX$71.0

41.21%

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

$5.97 CHF 4.95

$1.28 MX$23.89

366.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 CHF 4.52

$0.78 MX$14.58

598.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.16 CHF 5.93

$3.17 MX$59.0

125.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 CHF 6.18

$4.93 MX$91.9

51.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 CHF 2.27

$1.41 MX$26.20

94.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 CHF 2.43

$2.22 MX$41.30

32.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 CHF 2.31

$1.42 MX$26.40

97.18%

Eggs

$11.95 CHF 9.89

$2.52 MX$47.00

374.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.34 CHF 20.98

$7.26 MX$135

249.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.48 CHF 19.44

$7.70 MX$143

204.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$50.6 CHF 41.90

$12.69 MX$236

298.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CHF 2.82

$2.78 MX$51.9

22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 CHF 3.02

$1.37 MX$25.49

165.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CHF 3.38

$2.55 MX$47.52

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 CHF 2.15

$2.12 MX$39.55

22.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 CHF 1.95

$1.94 MX$36.11

21.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.77

$1.89 MX$35.13

13.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 CHF 1.71

$1.15 MX$21.36

79.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CHF 1.38

$1.18 MX$21.96

40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 CHF 10.00

$4.30 MX$80.0

180.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 CHF 11.43

$9.95 MX$185

38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 CHF 1.67

$1.58 MX$29.50

27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 CHF 1.41

$2.67 MX$49.76

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 CHF 2.90

$0.55 MX$10.31

538.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.1 CHF 67.2

$26.62 MX$496

204.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 CHF 1.44

$4.97 MX$92.6

-64.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.90 CHF 4.88

$3.33 MX$62.1

77.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.36 CHF 6.92

$5.36 MX$99.8

55.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.44 MX$26.90

55.56%

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

$34.1K CHF 28.2K

$20.7K MX$385.0K

64.94%

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

$32.4K CHF 26.8K

$23.5K MX$437.2K

38.05%

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

$212 CHF 175

$84.8 MX$1,580

149.71%

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

$40.00 CHF 33.12

$23.41 MX$436

70.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.4 CHF 59.1

$28.66 MX$534

148.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 CHF 75.4

$57.1 MX$1,063

59.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.38 CHF 20.18

$28.91 MX$539

-15.67%

Cinema Ticket

$24.13 CHF 19.98

$5.14 MX$95.7

369.46%

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

$298 CHF 247

$207 MX$3,848

44.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,878 CHF 7,350

$3,927 MX$73.2K

126.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 CHF 106

$43.35 MX$808

194.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 CHF 41.72

$41.44 MX$772

21.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$174 CHF 144

$74.2 MX$1,382

134.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$218 CHF 180

$89.3 MX$1,663

144.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 CHF 817

$980 MX$18.2K

0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 CHF 1,062

$381 MX$7,095

236.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,864 CHF 2,371

$1,708 MX$31.8K

67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 CHF 1,916

$1,075 MX$20.0K

115.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.3K CHF 13.5K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

314.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,142 CHF 4,257

$6,158 MX$114.7K

-16.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,481 CHF 7,021

$735 MX$13.7K

1054.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.55

11.45

-34.06%

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

Last update for Balzers: October 24, 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

Balzers

$1.3K 40.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 70.3% $901

Groceries & Markets

Balzers

$610 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 58.2% $355

Eating Out

Balzers

$464 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 56.4% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzers

$323 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.6% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Balzers

$256 8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 56.4% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Balzers

$139 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 51.7% $72

Getting Around

Balzers

$126 4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.1% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $987 in Balzers and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balzers pays about 12 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $122 in Balzers vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $610 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇮 Balzers

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

6 h behind Balzers

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,600

149,923

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Balzers Playa del Carmen 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Balzers
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Balzers is about 12 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: $987 in Balzers versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 139% higher in Balzers. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $122 in Balzers. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,201 in Balzers, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Balzers. 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, Balzers on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.