Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frauenfeld and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,133 in Frauenfeld, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Frauenfeld
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,133
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,133 per month in Frauenfeld vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Frauenfeld $3,133
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,002 per month in Frauenfeld vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Frauenfeld $5,002
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,871 per month in Frauenfeld vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Frauenfeld $6,871
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Frauenfeld costs about 159% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Frauenfeld sits 132% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.62 CHF 25.22
$10.76 MX$199
184.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$121 CHF 99.7
$43.03 MX$795
181.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.55 CHF 16.10
$11.79 MX$218
65.82%
Cappuccino
$6.00 CHF 4.94
$3.87 MX$71.4
55.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.35 CHF 4.41
$1.37 MX$25.29
290.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.79 CHF 3.94
$0.84 MX$15.44
470.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.33 CHF 6.86
$3.10 MX$57.3
168.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 CHF 5.40
$5.07 MX$93.6
29.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.82
$1.44 MX$26.55
53.47%
White Bread (500g)
$3.74 CHF 3.08
$2.23 MX$41.23
67.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.20 CHF 3.46
$1.47 MX$27.17
185.71%
Eggs
$7.73 CHF 6.37
$2.53 MX$46.71
205.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.49 CHF 21.81
$7.30 MX$135
262.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.52 CHF 24.31
$7.86 MX$145
275.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.04 CHF 34.63
$12.79 MX$236
228.69%
Apples (1kg)
$3.52 CHF 2.90
$2.90 MX$53.6
21.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 CHF 1.77
$1.44 MX$26.53
48.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.27
$2.55 MX$47.07
8.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.23 CHF 4.30
$2.06 MX$38.03
153.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.39 CHF 1.97
$2.00 MX$36.97
19.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 2.03
$2.01 MX$37.07
22.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.38 CHF 1.96
$1.19 MX$22.02
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 CHF 1.01
$1.26 MX$23.23
-3.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.82 CHF 8.91
$4.40 MX$81.4
145.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.57 CHF 12.00
$9.59 MX$177
51.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.97 CHF 2.44
$1.59 MX$29.41
86.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 CHF 3.25
$2.81 MX$51.9
40.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.49 CHF 3.70
$0.57 MX$10.47
687.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.3 CHF 80.2
$27.82 MX$514
249.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.31 CHF 4.37
$4.98 MX$92.1
6.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.45 CHF 2.85
$3.50 MX$64.6
-1.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.42 CHF 30.00
$5.40 MX$99.8
574.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.33 CHF 1.92
$1.47 MX$27.08
58.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.6K CHF 34.3K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
98.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K CHF 32.4K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
64.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 CHF 231
$84.2 MX$1,556
232.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.57 CHF 30.95
$23.99 MX$443
56.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.1 CHF 51.9
$29.02 MX$536
117.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$100 CHF 82.4
$63.0 MX$1,164
58.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$45.55 CHF 37.52
$29.14 MX$539
56.31%
Cinema Ticket
$23.43 CHF 19.30
$4.94 MX$91.3
374.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,816 CHF 1,496
$204 MX$3,763
792.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.9K CHF 26.2K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
708.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$167 CHF 137
$43.60 MX$806
282.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 CHF 44.59
$43.12 MX$797
25.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$148 CHF 122
$75.8 MX$1,400
95.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$140 CHF 116
$88.6 MX$1,637
58.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,437 CHF 1,184
$1,008 MX$18.6K
42.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,152 CHF 948
$374 MX$6,911
207.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,597 CHF 2,139
$1,708 MX$31.6K
51.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,307 CHF 1,900
$1,106 MX$20.4K
108.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.9K CHF 13.1K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
302.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$12.0K CHF 9,915
$6,169 MX$114.0K
95.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Frauenfeld
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,053 CHF 4,985
$754 MX$13.9K
702.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.35
11.45
-79.48%

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

Last update for Frauenfeld: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Frauenfeld
$1.2K
Playa del Carmen
$374 67.5% $778
Groceries & Markets
Frauenfeld
$616
Playa del Carmen
$258 58.1% $358
Eating Out
Frauenfeld
$471
Playa del Carmen
$202 57.1% $269
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Frauenfeld
$381
Playa del Carmen
$137 64% $243
Clothing & Footwear
Frauenfeld
$229
Playa del Carmen
$113 50.7% $116
Sport & Entertainment
Frauenfeld
$147
Playa del Carmen
$73 50.4% $74
Getting Around
Frauenfeld
$138
Playa del Carmen
$53 61.9% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,437 in Frauenfeld versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 703% higher in Frauenfeld, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Frauenfeld versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $616 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Frauenfeld
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
11:29 11:29 AM
04:29 4:29 AM
7 h behind Frauenfeld
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
24,864
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Frauenfeld Playa del Carmen 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Frauenfeld
  • 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
Frauenfeld vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Frauenfeld?
Yes – Frauenfeld is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,700 per month in Frauenfeld and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Frauenfeld and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,133 in Frauenfeld and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 159%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 250% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Frauenfeld or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Frauenfeld at $3,133. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Frauenfeld it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Frauenfeld or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Frauenfeld or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frauenfeld makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Frauenfeld vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?