Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,742 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kiruna, Sweden
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kiruna
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,742
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Kiruna vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kiruna $1,742
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Kiruna vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kiruna $2,892
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,043 per month in Kiruna vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kiruna $4,043
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Kiruna costs about 45% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kiruna sits 28% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.69 SEK 136
$10.92 MX$204
25.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$127 SEK 1,258
$43.37 MX$808
192.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.03 SEK 99.6
$11.78 MX$220
-14.86%
Cappuccino
$4.51 SEK 44.82
$3.81 MX$71.0
18.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 SEK 25.72
$1.28 MX$23.90
102.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 SEK 22.20
$0.78 MX$14.59
187.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.79 SEK 97.3
$3.17 MX$59.0
208.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.39 SEK 63.4
$4.93 MX$92.0
29.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 SEK 17.00
$1.41 MX$26.22
21.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.75 SEK 27.31
$2.22 MX$41.33
23.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.41 SEK 33.86
$1.42 MX$26.42
140.14%
Eggs
$4.05 SEK 40.18
$2.52 MX$47.03
60.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.35 SEK 123
$7.26 MX$135
70.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.00 SEK 119
$7.70 MX$143
55.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.56 SEK 174
$12.69 MX$237
38.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 SEK 30.59
$2.78 MX$51.9
10.79%
Banana (1kg)
$2.52 SEK 25.03
$1.37 MX$25.50
83.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.92 SEK 29.01
$2.55 MX$47.55
14.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.32 SEK 42.91
$2.12 MX$39.58
103.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 SEK 15.30
$1.94 MX$36.13
-20.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 SEK 16.04
$1.89 MX$35.16
-14.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 SEK 22.88
$1.15 MX$21.37
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 SEK 14.40
$1.18 MX$21.98
22.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.03 SEK 69.8
$4.30 MX$80.1
63.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.89 SEK 98.2
$9.95 MX$185
-0.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.00 SEK 19.89
$1.58 MX$29.52
26.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 SEK 22.73
$2.67 MX$49.79
-14.23%
🚌 Getting Around
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.25 SEK 32.27
$0.55 MX$10.31
490.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.8 SEK 783
$26.62 MX$496
196.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 SEK 59.4
$4.97 MX$92.6
20.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.73 SEK 17.14
$3.33 MX$62.1
-48.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.5 SEK 591
$5.36 MX$99.8
1010.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.20 SEK 21.85
$1.44 MX$26.92
52.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K SEK 332.9K
$20.7K MX$385.2K
62.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K SEK 327.2K
$23.5K MX$437.4K
40.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$103 SEK 1,027
$84.8 MX$1,581
21.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.42 SEK 252
$23.41 MX$436
8.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.39 SEK 401
$28.66 MX$534
40.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.00 SEK 377
$57.1 MX$1,063
-33.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.84 SEK 257
$28.91 MX$539
-10.62%
Cinema Ticket
$16.00 SEK 159
$5.14 MX$95.8
211.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$160 SEK 1,592
$207 MX$3,851
-22.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,005 SEK 49.7K
$3,927 MX$73.2K
27.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.9 SEK 962
$43.35 MX$808
123.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.55 SEK 393
$41.44 MX$772
-4.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.1 SEK 905
$74.2 MX$1,383
22.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$144 SEK 1,427
$89.3 MX$1,664
60.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$818 SEK 8,126
$980 MX$18.3K
-16.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 SEK 5,934
$381 MX$7,099
56.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,347 SEK 13.4K
$1,708 MX$31.8K
-21.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,092 SEK 10.8K
$1,075 MX$20.0K
1.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,058 SEK 40.3K
$3,943 MX$73.5K
2.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,839 SEK 28.2K
$6,158 MX$114.8K
-53.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kiruna
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,257 SEK 32.3K
$735 MX$13.7K
343.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
11.45
-65.07%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 25, 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
Kiruna
$598
Playa del Carmen
$381 36.3% $217
Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
$357
Playa del Carmen
$255 28.6% $102
Eating Out
Kiruna
$275
Playa del Carmen
$202 26.4% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
$169
Playa del Carmen
$137 19.1% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
$167
Playa del Carmen
$112 33.1% $55
Getting Around
Kiruna
$106
Playa del Carmen
$50 52.6% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
$70
Playa del Carmen
$67 3.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $818 in Kiruna 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 Kiruna are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in Kiruna versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Kiruna
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
22:36 10:36 PM
16:36 4:36 PM
6 h behind Kiruna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,454
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kiruna Playa del Carmen 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kiruna
  • 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
Kiruna vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kiruna and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,742 in Kiruna, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Kiruna compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,613 per month in Kiruna and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kiruna and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kiruna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $818 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Kiruna, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $127 in Kiruna and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kiruna at $1,742. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kiruna and 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 $1,742 in Kiruna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Kiruna and Playa del Carmen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kiruna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Kiruna vs other spots: cost of living compared

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