Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index
59

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

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La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,965 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,731 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,498 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498
Playa del Carmen $3,016

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 145% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Chaux-de-Fonds sits 120% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 CHF 19.81

$10.76 MX$199

123.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 CHF 69.8

$43.03 MX$795

96.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 CHF 14.84

$11.79 MX$218

52.84%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CHF 3.85

$3.87 MX$71.4

20.67%

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

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$1.37 MX$25.29

159.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$0.84 MX$15.44

433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$3.10 MX$57.3

134.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CHF 4.82

$5.07 MX$93.6

15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$1.44 MX$26.55

51.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.23 MX$41.23

33.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 CHF 2.65

$1.47 MX$27.17

119.05%

Eggs

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$2.53 MX$46.71

205.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.32 CHF 20.85

$7.30 MX$135

246.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 CHF 22.01

$7.86 MX$145

240.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.67 CHF 34.32

$12.79 MX$236

225.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.01

$2.90 MX$53.6

26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$1.44 MX$26.53

63.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 CHF 2.41

$2.55 MX$47.07

14.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.70

$2.06 MX$38.03

118.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$2.00 MX$36.97

-17.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CHF 1.57

$2.01 MX$37.07

-5.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.19 MX$22.02

88.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$1.26 MX$23.23

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.03

$4.40 MX$81.4

149.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 CHF 9.85

$9.59 MX$177

24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.59 MX$29.41

53.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$2.81 MX$51.9

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 CHF 3.81

$0.57 MX$10.47

712.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 CHF 80.8

$27.82 MX$514

252.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$4.98 MX$92.1

55.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.46 CHF 3.68

$3.50 MX$64.6

27.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.5 CHF 69.6

$5.40 MX$99.8

1464.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$1.47 MX$27.08

59.86%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

104.53%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

65.39%

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

$291 CHF 239

$84.2 MX$1,556

245.08%

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

$45.30 CHF 37.31

$23.99 MX$443

88.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CHF 53.1

$29.02 MX$536

122.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$63.0 MX$1,164

16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.07 CHF 37.12

$29.14 MX$539

54.67%

Cinema Ticket

$22.43 CHF 18.47

$4.94 MX$91.3

354.05%

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

$2,924 CHF 2,408

$204 MX$3,763

1336.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

410.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 CHF 121

$43.60 MX$806

236.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.1

$43.12 MX$797

83.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$75.8 MX$1,400

112.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$88.6 MX$1,637

122.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,205

$1,008 MX$18.6K

45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 CHF 889

$374 MX$6,911

188.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,904 CHF 3,215

$1,708 MX$31.6K

128.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 CHF 1,914

$1,106 MX$20.4K

110.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

311.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

98.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,068 CHF 4,174

$754 MX$13.9K

571.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

11.45

-78.86%

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

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 65.4% $705

Groceries & Markets

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 55.1% $317

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 65.7% $263

Eating Out

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 47.2% $180

Clothing & Footwear

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 57% $150

Getting Around

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 64.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 38.3% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $1,008 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 run about 572% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $575 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

7 h behind La Chaux-de-Fonds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,027

149,923

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Chaux-de-Fonds Playa del Carmen 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

La Chaux-de-Fonds
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

La Chaux-de-Fonds vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 145% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,447 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 145%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in La Chaux-de-Fonds at $2,965. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Chaux-de-Fonds it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.