Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,575 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

172

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
58

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

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,575

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,575 in Cham versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Cham $3,575
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,453 in Cham versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Cham $5,453
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,331 in Cham versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Cham $7,331
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Cham is roughly 197% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cham is 163% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 CHF 24.67

$10.92 MX$204

172.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$43.37 MX$808

180.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.93 CHF 14.87

$11.78 MX$220

52.21%

Cappuccino

$5.82 CHF 4.83

$3.81 MX$71.0

52.76%

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

$5.32 CHF 4.42

$1.28 MX$23.90

315.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 CHF 4.04

$0.78 MX$14.59

524.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 CHF 7.01

$3.17 MX$59.0

166.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 CHF 5.42

$4.93 MX$92.0

32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.41 MX$26.22

51.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.76 CHF 3.12

$2.22 MX$41.33

69.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 3.00

$1.42 MX$26.42

154.93%

Eggs

$7.27 CHF 6.03

$2.52 MX$47.03

188.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.38 CHF 21.88

$7.26 MX$135

263.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.65 CHF 23.77

$7.70 MX$143

272.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.06 CHF 34.89

$12.69 MX$237

231.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CHF 3.25

$2.78 MX$51.9

40.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CHF 1.78

$1.37 MX$25.50

56.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.57

$2.55 MX$47.55

21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.80

$2.12 MX$39.58

116.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 CHF 1.87

$1.94 MX$36.13

15.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$1.89 MX$35.16

18.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 CHF 1.98

$1.15 MX$21.37

107.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 CHF 0.92

$1.18 MX$21.98

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.02 CHF 9.15

$4.30 MX$80.1

156.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.08 CHF 10.02

$9.95 MX$185

21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 CHF 2.34

$1.58 MX$29.52

78.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CHF 2.58

$2.67 MX$49.79

16.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.13 CHF 4.26

$0.55 MX$10.31

832.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$146 CHF 121

$26.62 MX$496

448.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 CHF 3.69

$4.97 MX$92.6

-10.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 CHF 2.45

$3.33 MX$62.1

-11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.7 CHF 49.49

$5.36 MX$99.8

1013.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 CHF 1.82

$1.44 MX$26.92

52.08%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.9K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

91.99%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

70.09%

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

$286 CHF 237

$84.8 MX$1,581

237.29%

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

$29.15 CHF 24.18

$23.41 MX$436

24.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 CHF 45.49

$28.66 MX$534

91.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 CHF 70.7

$57.1 MX$1,063

49.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.01 CHF 33.19

$28.91 MX$539

38.40%

Cinema Ticket

$22.10 CHF 18.34

$5.14 MX$95.8

329.96%

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

$1,488 CHF 1,234

$207 MX$3,851

620.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K CHF 20.5K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

528.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 114

$43.35 MX$808

216.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 CHF 44.76

$41.44 MX$772

30.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 CHF 130

$74.2 MX$1,383

111.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$249 CHF 206

$89.3 MX$1,664

178.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 CHF 1,477

$980 MX$18.3K

81.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 CHF 1,299

$381 MX$7,099

311.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,896 CHF 2,402

$1,708 MX$31.8K

69.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 CHF 2,243

$1,075 MX$20.0K

151.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K CHF 10.8K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

230.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.7K CHF 9,730

$6,158 MX$114.8K

90.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.03

11.45

-82.27%

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

Last update for Cham: 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

Cham

$1.6K 43.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 75.7% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$597 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 57.3% $343

Eating Out

Cham

$458 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 55.8% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$370 10.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 63% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$268 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 58.4% $157

Getting Around

Cham

$186 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 72.9% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$129 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 48% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,780 in Cham and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $597 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

09:56 9:56 AM

6 h behind Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

149,923

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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 CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cham Playa del Carmen 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cham
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 197% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,362 in Cham and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,780 in Cham versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,488 in Cham versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,575 in Cham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Cham. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.