Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boras and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,888 in Boras, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Boras
Learn more

Boras Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Boras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,888

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,888 in Boras versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Boras $1,888
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,215 in Boras versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Boras $2,215
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,542 in Boras versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Boras $2,542
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Boras is roughly 57% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boras is 39% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.97 SEK 129

$10.92 MX$204

18.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 SEK 915

$43.37 MX$808

112.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 SEK 101

$11.78 MX$220

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$4.20 SEK 41.68

$3.81 MX$71.0

10.24%

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

$2.13 SEK 21.16

$1.28 MX$23.90

66.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.14

$0.78 MX$14.59

160.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 SEK 67.9

$3.17 MX$59.0

115.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 SEK 71.9

$4.93 MX$92.0

46.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 SEK 16.12

$1.41 MX$26.22

14.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 SEK 25.50

$2.22 MX$41.33

15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.10 SEK 30.77

$1.42 MX$26.42

118.31%

Eggs

$4.45 SEK 44.18

$2.52 MX$47.03

76.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 SEK 124

$7.26 MX$135

71.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 SEK 113

$7.70 MX$143

47.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 SEK 154

$12.69 MX$237

22.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 SEK 30.74

$2.78 MX$51.9

11.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 SEK 26.05

$1.37 MX$25.50

91.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 SEK 28.12

$2.55 MX$47.55

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 35.85

$2.12 MX$39.58

70.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.23

$1.94 MX$36.13

-21.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 SEK 13.51

$1.89 MX$35.16

-28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 SEK 22.22

$1.15 MX$21.37

94.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.22

$1.18 MX$21.98

12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 SEK 67.7

$4.30 MX$80.1

58.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 SEK 80.3

$9.95 MX$185

-18.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SEK 17.32

$1.58 MX$29.52

10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SEK 15.74

$2.67 MX$49.79

-40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 SEK 35.20

$0.55 MX$10.31

543.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.2 SEK 767

$26.62 MX$496

190.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 SEK 48.56

$4.97 MX$92.6

-1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 SEK 11.14

$3.33 MX$62.1

-66.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.83 SEK 415

$5.36 MX$99.8

680.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.20

$1.44 MX$26.92

20.14%

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

$24.8K SEK 246.4K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

20.05%

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

$15.2K SEK 151.0K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

-35.20%

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

$59.1 SEK 587

$84.8 MX$1,581

-30.31%

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

$29.27 SEK 291

$23.41 MX$436

25.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.09 SEK 398

$28.66 MX$534

39.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.54 SEK 353

$57.1 MX$1,063

-37.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.42 SEK 252

$28.91 MX$539

-12.07%

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 SEK 147

$5.14 MX$95.8

187.74%

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

$160 SEK 1,590

$207 MX$3,851

-22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.67 SEK 493

$43.35 MX$808

14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.25 SEK 489

$41.44 MX$772

18.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 SEK 811

$74.2 MX$1,383

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 SEK 1,016

$89.3 MX$1,664

14.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 SEK 8,750

$381 MX$7,099

131.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,473 SEK 24.6K

$735 MX$13.7K

236.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

11.45

-58.08%

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

Last update for Boras: October 26, 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

Boras

$881 46.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 56.8% $500

Groceries & Markets

Boras

$334 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 23.7% $79

Eating Out

Boras

$250 13.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 19.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boras

$128 6.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 6.5% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Boras

$127 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 12.2% $16

Getting Around

Boras

$102 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 50.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Boras

$65 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.4% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

Boras pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $92 in Boras vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Boras

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

6 h behind Boras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,273

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boras Playa del Carmen 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Boras
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Boras is about 3.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,888 per month in Boras versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,888 in Boras, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Boras. 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, Boras on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.