Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buchs and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,009 in Buchs, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Buchs
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Buchs Living Index
59

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

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Buchs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,009

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,009 in Buchs versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Buchs $3,009
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,535 in Buchs versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Buchs $4,535
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,062 in Buchs versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Buchs $6,062
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Buchs is roughly 150% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buchs is 122% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.43 CHF 19.30

$10.86 MX$201

115.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 CHF 69.4

$44.21 MX$817

90.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 CHF 12.65

$11.76 MX$217

30.61%

Cappuccino

$4.71 CHF 3.88

$3.68 MX$68.0

27.99%

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

$3.77 CHF 3.10

$1.34 MX$24.79

181.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 CHF 2.63

$0.82 MX$15.24

290.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 CHF 5.04

$3.06 MX$56.6

100.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 CHF 4.44

$4.94 MX$91.2

9.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CHF 1.66

$1.47 MX$27.17

36.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 CHF 3.24

$2.22 MX$40.95

77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 CHF 3.82

$1.48 MX$27.32

213.51%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$2.49 MX$45.99

193.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.21 CHF 26.53

$7.52 MX$139

328.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.51 CHF 15.24

$7.96 MX$147

132.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$12.57 MX$232

158.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$2.78 MX$51.3

26.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.43 MX$26.37

49.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$2.62 MX$48.37

19.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.70 CHF 5.52

$2.14 MX$39.49

213.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.46

$2.02 MX$37.38

-11.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 CHF 2.10

$1.99 MX$36.74

27.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.14 MX$21.01

114.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CHF 1.00

$1.20 MX$22.18

0.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.92

$4.26 MX$78.7

154.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.70 CHF 10.46

$10.02 MX$185

26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.54 MX$28.41

112.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 CHF 3.22

$2.66 MX$49.17

46.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 CHF 4.25

$0.53 MX$9.73

875.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 CHF 4.42

$4.90 MX$90.6

9.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$3.43 MX$63.5

0.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.2 CHF 50.4

$5.38 MX$99.4

1036.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.45 MX$26.76

53.79%

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

$42.5K CHF 35.0K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

101.08%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

71.90%

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

$184 CHF 152

$85.4 MX$1,577

116.03%

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

$31.24 CHF 25.73

$23.46 MX$434

33.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.2 CHF 55.4

$28.43 MX$525

136.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 CHF 12.52

$5.10 MX$94.3

198.04%

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

$611 CHF 503

$201 MX$3,715

203.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K CHF 17.0K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

423.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 88.0

$44.39 MX$820

140.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.70 CHF 19.52

$41.35 MX$764

-42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 CHF 78.4

$72.7 MX$1,344

30.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 140

$89.6 MX$1,656

89.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 CHF 1,505

$979 MX$18.1K

86.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,285

$373 MX$6,887

318.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,690 CHF 2,216

$1,681 MX$31.1K

60.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,746 CHF 2,261

$1,095 MX$20.2K

150.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,480 CHF 6,984

$738 MX$13.6K

1049.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.93

11.45

-83.14%

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

Last update for Buchs: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buchs

$1.6K 51.9%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 76.1% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Buchs

$555 18.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 53.4% $296

Eating Out

Buchs

$359 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 44.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buchs

$283 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 51.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Buchs

$178 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 37.2% $66

Getting Around

Buchs

$43 * 1.4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 19.4% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Buchs

$30 * 1%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 138% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Buchs and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buchs pays 1050% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Buchs vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Buchs

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

7 h behind Buchs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,187

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Buchs
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

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

Buchs and Playa del Carmen differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($3,009 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1050% higher in Buchs, 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: $1,828 in Buchs versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $611 in Buchs versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $84.0 in Buchs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,009 in Buchs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Buchs. 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.

Safety-wise, Buchs and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Buchs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.