Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,008 in Gothenburg versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Gothenburg $2,008
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,067 in Gothenburg versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gothenburg $3,067
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,127 in Gothenburg versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Gothenburg $4,127
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 67% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gothenburg is 48% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.67 SEK 134

$10.92 MX$205

25.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 SEK 851

$43.37 MX$814

99.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 SEK 122

$11.78 MX$221

5.26%

Cappuccino

$5.04 SEK 49.48

$3.81 MX$71.5

32.28%

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

$2.99 SEK 29.31

$1.28 MX$24.07

133.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 22.89

$0.78 MX$14.70

198.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 SEK 67.5

$3.17 MX$59.5

117.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 SEK 74.3

$4.93 MX$92.7

53.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 16.97

$1.41 MX$26.40

22.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 SEK 27.36

$2.22 MX$41.62

25.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 SEK 31.97

$1.42 MX$26.61

129.58%

Eggs

$3.90 SEK 38.26

$2.52 MX$47.36

54.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 SEK 110

$7.26 MX$136

54.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$7.70 MX$144

50.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 SEK 161

$12.69 MX$238

29.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 29.54

$2.78 MX$52.3

8.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.06

$1.37 MX$25.68

78.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.48

$2.55 MX$47.89

13.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.49 SEK 44.09

$2.12 MX$39.86

111.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 SEK 17.95

$1.94 MX$36.39

-5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SEK 16.36

$1.89 MX$35.41

-11.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 SEK 20.11

$1.15 MX$21.53

78.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.72

$1.18 MX$22.13

35.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.35 SEK 81.9

$4.30 MX$80.6

94.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 SEK 149

$9.95 MX$187

52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.04

$1.58 MX$29.73

29.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.12

$2.67 MX$50.1

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.83 SEK 37.56

$0.55 MX$10.39

596.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 848

$26.62 MX$500

224.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 SEK 60.9

$4.97 MX$93.3

24.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 SEK 16.37

$3.33 MX$62.5

-49.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 581

$5.36 MX$101

1004.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.20

$1.44 MX$27.11

21.53%

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

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

$20.7K MX$388.0K

61.68%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

$23.5K MX$440.5K

44.03%

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

$104 SEK 1,017

$84.8 MX$1,592

22.21%

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

$19.70 SEK 193

$23.41 MX$439

-15.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.35 SEK 337

$28.66 MX$538

19.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.01 SEK 334

$57.1 MX$1,071

-40.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 SEK 239

$28.91 MX$543

-15.63%

Cinema Ticket

$16.98 SEK 167

$5.14 MX$96.5

230.35%

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

$222 SEK 2,180

$207 MX$3,878

7.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

$3,927 MX$73.7K

10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 SEK 870

$43.35 MX$814

104.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.91 SEK 323

$41.44 MX$778

-20.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 SEK 861

$74.2 MX$1,393

18.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,315

$89.3 MX$1,676

50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

$980 MX$18.4K

13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 SEK 8,575

$381 MX$7,150

129.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

8.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

$3,943 MX$74.0K

62.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

$6,158 MX$115.6K

-34.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

$735 MX$13.8K

379.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

11.45

-73.28%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 27, 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

Gothenburg

$874 43.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 56.4% $493

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$360 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.2% $105

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$278 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 27.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$158 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 13.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$155 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 27.7% $43

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 56.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$68 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,107 in Gothenburg and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Gothenburg vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

21:08 9:08 PM

6 h behind Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Playa del Carmen 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Gothenburg is about 4.8 times higher, 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: $1,107 in Gothenburg versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Gothenburg 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 41% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,008 in Gothenburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.