Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Karlskrona, Sweden
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Karlskrona
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,636
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,636 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $1,636
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,545 per month in Karlskrona vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $2,545
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,453 per month in Karlskrona vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $3,453
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Karlskrona costs about 36% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karlskrona sits 20% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.82 SEK 126
$10.92 MX$205
17.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.2 SEK 649
$43.37 MX$814
52.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 SEK 86.5
$11.78 MX$221
-25.21%
Cappuccino
$4.09 SEK 40.16
$3.81 MX$71.5
7.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 SEK 13.07
$1.28 MX$24.07
3.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 SEK 22.07
$0.78 MX$14.70
188.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.93 SEK 68.0
$3.17 MX$59.5
118.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.00 SEK 49.11
$4.93 MX$92.7
1.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 SEK 14.30
$1.41 MX$26.40
3.55%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 SEK 26.21
$2.22 MX$41.62
20.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.66 SEK 35.96
$1.42 MX$26.61
157.75%
Eggs
$4.41 SEK 43.23
$2.52 MX$47.36
75.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.01 SEK 108
$7.26 MX$136
51.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.05 SEK 128
$7.70 MX$144
69.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.37 SEK 171
$12.69 MX$238
36.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 SEK 30.10
$2.78 MX$52.3
10.43%
Banana (1kg)
$2.32 SEK 22.73
$1.37 MX$25.68
69.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.03 SEK 29.78
$2.55 MX$47.89
18.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 SEK 43.20
$2.12 MX$39.86
107.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 SEK 14.67
$1.94 MX$36.39
-23.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 SEK 14.67
$1.89 MX$35.41
-21.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.18 SEK 21.37
$1.15 MX$21.53
89.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 SEK 13.98
$1.18 MX$22.13
20.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.99 SEK 68.6
$4.30 MX$80.6
62.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.80 SEK 126
$9.95 MX$187
28.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.04 SEK 20.01
$1.58 MX$29.73
29.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 SEK 16.00
$2.67 MX$50.1
-38.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.94 SEK 28.84
$0.55 MX$10.39
434.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.8 SEK 694
$26.62 MX$500
165.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$13.17 SEK 129
$4.97 MX$93.3
164.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.06 SEK 20.26
$3.33 MX$62.5
-38.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.5 SEK 789
$5.36 MX$101
1400.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 SEK 17.36
$1.44 MX$27.11
22.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K SEK 321.0K
$20.7K MX$388.0K
58.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K SEK 326.1K
$23.5K MX$440.5K
41.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.1 SEK 501
$84.8 MX$1,592
-39.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.03 SEK 275
$23.41 MX$439
19.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.39 SEK 357
$28.66 MX$538
26.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 SEK 403
$57.1 MX$1,071
-28.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.91 MX$543
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.13 SEK 158
$5.14 MX$96.5
213.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$160 SEK 1,573
$207 MX$3,878
-22.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$3,927 MX$73.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$97.6 SEK 958
$43.35 MX$814
125.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.06 SEK 197
$41.44 MX$778
-51.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.6 SEK 781
$74.2 MX$1,393
7.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$179 SEK 1,757
$89.3 MX$1,676
100.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$681 SEK 6,679
$980 MX$18.4K
-30.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$576 SEK 5,649
$381 MX$7,150
51.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,097 SEK 10.8K
$1,708 MX$32.1K
-35.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$937 SEK 9,196
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-12.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,929 SEK 28.7K
$3,943 MX$74.0K
-25.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,526 SEK 24.8K
$6,158 MX$115.6K
-58.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlskrona
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,463 SEK 24.2K
$735 MX$13.8K
235.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
11.45
-63.14%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: October 26, 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
Karlskrona
$576
Playa del Carmen
$381 33.8% $195
Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
$360
Playa del Carmen
$255 29.2% $105
Eating Out
Karlskrona
$237
Playa del Carmen
$202 14.6% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
$169
Playa del Carmen
$112 34% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
$116
Playa del Carmen
$137 18.5% $21
Getting Around
Karlskrona
$106
Playa del Carmen
$50 52.4% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
$73
Playa del Carmen
$67 8.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $681 in Karlskrona versus $980 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 in Karlskrona are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Karlskrona versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Karlskrona
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
01:10 1:10 AM
19:10 7:10 PM
6 h behind Karlskrona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,212
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karlskrona Playa del Carmen 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karlskrona
  • 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
Karlskrona vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Karlskrona?
Yes – Karlskrona is pricier by about 36%, 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 $2,455 per month in Karlskrona and $1,806 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 Karlskrona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Karlskrona or in Playa del Carmen?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Karlskrona and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Karlskrona and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,636 in Karlskrona and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 26% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Karlskrona or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Karlskrona at $1,636. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlskrona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Karlskrona or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,636 in Karlskrona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Karlskrona vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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