Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kriens and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,154 in Kriens, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kriens, Switzerland
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Kriens
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,154
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,154 per month in Kriens vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kriens $3,154
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,836 per month in Kriens vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kriens $4,836
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,518 per month in Kriens vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Kriens $6,518
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Kriens costs about 162% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kriens sits 133% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.66 CHF 24.21
$10.67 MX$199
177.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$106 CHF 86.4
$43.80 MX$815
141.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.11 CHF 14.79
$11.79 MX$219
53.60%
Cappuccino
$5.92 CHF 4.83
$3.79 MX$70.5
56.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.13 CHF 4.19
$1.30 MX$24.14
294.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 CHF 3.91
$0.83 MX$15.51
475.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.05 CHF 4.94
$3.15 MX$58.6
92.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.17 CHF 5.86
$4.93 MX$91.8
45.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 CHF 1.68
$1.41 MX$26.22
46.10%
White Bread (500g)
$3.68 CHF 3.00
$2.20 MX$40.86
67.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.72 CHF 2.22
$1.47 MX$27.40
85.03%
Eggs
$7.91 CHF 6.45
$2.50 MX$46.46
216.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.84 CHF 22.73
$7.29 MX$136
281.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$31.26 CHF 25.52
$7.95 MX$148
293.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.79 CHF 34.12
$12.86 MX$239
224.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.00 CHF 2.45
$2.90 MX$53.9
3.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.80 CHF 1.47
$1.38 MX$25.74
30.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 2.01
$2.49 MX$46.35
-1.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.44 CHF 4.44
$2.03 MX$37.77
167.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.75 CHF 1.43
$2.02 MX$37.68
-13.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.05 CHF 1.67
$1.90 MX$35.42
7.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 CHF 1.86
$1.14 MX$21.30
100.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 CHF 1.11
$1.24 MX$23.05
9.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.91 CHF 8.91
$4.27 MX$79.5
155.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.20 CHF 8.33
$9.81 MX$183
3.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 CHF 2.11
$1.59 MX$29.51
62.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 CHF 2.32
$2.75 MX$51.1
3.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.51 CHF 3.68
$0.51 MX$9.58
784.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.4 CHF 71.4
$27.39 MX$510
219.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.13 CHF 5.82
$4.76 MX$88.6
49.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$5.94 CHF 4.85
$3.25 MX$60.5
82.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.66 CHF 29.93
$5.39 MX$100
580.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.40 CHF 1.96
$1.53 MX$28.44
56.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.9K CHF 32.6K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
88.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.2K CHF 32.0K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
68.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$124 CHF 101
$83.5 MX$1,554
48.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.81 CHF 30.87
$23.19 MX$431
63.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.9 CHF 46.48
$27.61 MX$514
106.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$73.9 CHF 60.4
$56.4 MX$1,050
31.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.83 CHF 33.34
$28.19 MX$525
44.84%
Cinema Ticket
$21.90 CHF 17.88
$5.00 MX$93.1
338.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,213 CHF 2,623
$207 MX$3,854
1451.60%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$41.4K CHF 33.8K
$5,231 MX$97.3K
691.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.1 CHF 73.6
$43.45 MX$809
107.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$68.8 CHF 56.2
$42.54 MX$792
61.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 CHF 89.6
$72.8 MX$1,354
50.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$172 CHF 140
$88.4 MX$1,645
94.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,965 CHF 1,604
$995 MX$18.5K
97.51%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,428 CHF 1,166
$382 MX$7,116
273.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,559 CHF 2,089
$1,674 MX$31.2K
52.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,380 CHF 1,943
$1,081 MX$20.1K
120.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$13.4K CHF 11.0K
$3,909 MX$72.7K
243.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,706 CHF 7,924
$6,138 MX$114.2K
58.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kriens
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.9
11.45
-83.41%

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

Last update for Kriens: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kriens
$1.4K
Playa del Carmen
$382 73.2% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Kriens
$602
Playa del Carmen
$257 57.2% $344
Eating Out
Kriens
$447
Playa del Carmen
$200 55.2% $247
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kriens
$219
Playa del Carmen
$134 38.6% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Kriens
$198
Playa del Carmen
$111 43.9% $87
Getting Around
Kriens
$142
Playa del Carmen
$50 64.6% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Kriens
$118
Playa del Carmen
$66 43.6% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,965 in Kriens versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $106 in Kriens versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $602 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Kriens
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
09:58 9:58 AM
03:58 3:58 AM
6 h behind Kriens
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,932
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kriens Playa del Carmen 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kriens
  • 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
Kriens vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kriens or Playa del Carmen?
Kriens costs about 162% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kriens and in Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,730 per month in Kriens and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kriens or Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,965 in Kriens.
How do childcare costs compare in Kriens and in Playa del Carmen?
Kindergarten costs $3,213 per month in Kriens and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kriens or in Playa del Carmen?
Groceries cost about 134% more in Kriens, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Kriens or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Kriens at $3,154. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kriens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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 more affordable for expats?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Kriens vs other spots: cost of living compared

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