Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gavle and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,439 in Gavle, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index
59

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

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Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,439

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,439 in Gavle versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gavle $1,439
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Gavle versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Gavle $2,286
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,134 in Gavle versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Gavle $3,134
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Gavle is roughly 19% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gavle is 6% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.69 SEK 136

$10.86 MX$201

26.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 SEK 786

$44.21 MX$817

79.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 SEK 92.2

$11.76 MX$217

-20.83%

Cappuccino

$4.42 SEK 43.79

$3.68 MX$68.0

20.11%

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

$2.07 SEK 20.51

$1.34 MX$24.79

54.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 SEK 18.95

$0.82 MX$15.24

132.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 SEK 77.2

$3.06 MX$56.6

154.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.75 SEK 76.8

$4.94 MX$91.2

56.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SEK 16.12

$1.47 MX$27.17

10.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 SEK 25.84

$2.22 MX$40.95

17.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 SEK 36.95

$1.48 MX$27.32

152.03%

Eggs

$3.81 SEK 37.80

$2.49 MX$45.99

53.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 SEK 90.4

$7.52 MX$139

21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 SEK 102

$7.96 MX$147

29.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 SEK 186

$12.57 MX$232

49.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$2.78 MX$51.3

9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.16

$1.43 MX$26.37

91.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 SEK 32.43

$2.62 MX$48.37

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 43.07

$2.14 MX$39.49

103.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 SEK 17.12

$2.02 MX$37.38

-14.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.99 MX$36.74

-8.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 SEK 25.26

$1.14 MX$21.01

123.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.35

$1.20 MX$22.18

70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 SEK 79.1

$4.26 MX$78.7

87.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 SEK 110

$10.02 MX$185

11.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SEK 16.23

$1.54 MX$28.41

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SEK 15.34

$2.66 MX$49.17

-41.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 SEK 32.22

$0.53 MX$9.73

513.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 SEK 598

$27.51 MX$508

119.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 SEK 44.83

$4.90 MX$90.6

-7.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SEK 15.16

$3.43 MX$63.5

-55.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.87 SEK 336

$5.38 MX$99.4

529.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.90

$1.45 MX$26.76

24.83%

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

$25.8K SEK 255.2K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

21.73%

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

$28.1K SEK 278.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

21.95%

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

$55.6 SEK 551

$85.4 MX$1,577

-34.84%

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

$21.93 SEK 217

$23.46 MX$434

-6.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 SEK 392

$28.43 MX$525

39.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.32 SEK 469

$62.2 MX$1,149

-23.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SEK 151

$5.10 MX$94.3

198.43%

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

$133 SEK 1,321

$201 MX$3,715

-33.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K SEK 151.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

286.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 SEK 699

$44.39 MX$820

58.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.8 SEK 583

$41.35 MX$764

42.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 SEK 505

$72.7 MX$1,344

-30.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 SEK 887

$89.6 MX$1,656

-0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SEK 5,738

$979 MX$18.1K

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SEK 4,208

$373 MX$6,887

13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 SEK 7,546

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SEK 6,593

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-39.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,945 SEK 19.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

-50.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 SEK 13.2K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-78.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 SEK 31.1K

$738 MX$13.6K

326.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

11.45

-70.57%

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

Last update for Gavle: October 17, 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

Gavle

$425 29.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 12.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Gavle

$351 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 26.4% $93

Eating Out

Gavle

$261 18.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 23.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Gavle

$121 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gavle

$117 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 17.1% $20

Getting Around

Gavle

$86 6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 39.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Gavle

$78 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 6.9% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Gavle and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 326% 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: $79.0 in Gavle vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gavle

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

7 h behind Gavle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gavle Playa del Carmen 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gavle
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

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

Gavle and Playa del Carmen differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,439 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 326% higher in Gavle, 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: $579 in Gavle versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 120% less than in Gavle. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $133 in Gavle versus $201 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,439 in Gavle, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gavle. 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, Gavle 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 19% less than in Gavle. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.