Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lulea and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,820 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,820

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Lulea versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Lulea $1,820
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,946 in Lulea versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Lulea $2,946
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,073 in Lulea versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Lulea $4,073
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Lulea is roughly 50% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lulea is 35% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.71 SEK 116

$10.76 MX$199

8.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.1 SEK 952

$43.03 MX$795

123.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 SEK 109

$11.79 MX$218

-6.36%

Cappuccino

$4.38 SEK 43.41

$3.87 MX$71.4

13.18%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.24

$1.37 MX$25.29

78.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$0.84 MX$15.44

130.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.56 SEK 84.8

$3.10 MX$57.3

176.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.41 SEK 93.2

$5.07 MX$93.6

85.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 SEK 17.99

$1.44 MX$26.55

26.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 SEK 33.84

$2.23 MX$41.23

53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 SEK 47.11

$1.47 MX$27.17

223.13%

Eggs

$4.67 SEK 46.31

$2.53 MX$46.71

84.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 SEK 124

$7.30 MX$135

70.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 SEK 130

$7.86 MX$145

66.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.07 SEK 258

$12.79 MX$236

103.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.16

$2.90 MX$53.6

-15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.36

$1.44 MX$26.53

84.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 SEK 23.36

$2.55 MX$47.07

-7.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 SEK 41.21

$2.06 MX$38.03

101.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 SEK 20.69

$2.00 MX$36.97

4.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.82

$2.01 MX$37.07

-25.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.30 SEK 32.69

$1.19 MX$22.02

177.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 SEK 12.59

$1.26 MX$23.23

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 SEK 70.0

$4.40 MX$81.4

60.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 SEK 119

$9.59 MX$177

25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.63

$1.59 MX$29.41

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 SEK 17.53

$2.81 MX$51.9

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 SEK 31.99

$0.57 MX$10.47

466.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.5 SEK 560

$27.82 MX$514

103.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 SEK 86.5

$4.98 MX$92.1

75.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.33

$3.50 MX$64.6

-41.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 SEK 702

$5.40 MX$99.8

1211.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.24

$1.47 MX$27.08

18.37%

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

$31.9K SEK 316.5K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

52.22%

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

$33.3K SEK 329.9K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

39.27%

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

$161 SEK 1,595

$84.2 MX$1,556

91.15%

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

$31.36 SEK 311

$23.99 MX$443

30.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.51 SEK 263

$29.02 MX$536

-8.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.47 SEK 450

$63.0 MX$1,164

-27.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.02 SEK 347

$29.14 MX$539

20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.85 SEK 127

$4.94 MX$91.3

160.12%

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

$150 SEK 1,490

$204 MX$3,763

-26.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,570 SEK 55.2K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

41.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 SEK 1,189

$43.60 MX$806

175.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.64 SEK 323

$43.12 MX$797

-24.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 SEK 1,188

$75.8 MX$1,400

58.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 SEK 1,593

$88.6 MX$1,637

81.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 SEK 7,763

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 SEK 5,786

$374 MX$6,911

56.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 SEK 14.4K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-15.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 SEK 10.9K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-0.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,072 SEK 30.4K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

-22.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 SEK 21.7K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-64.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,498 SEK 24.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

231.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

11.45

-66.38%

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

Last update for Lulea: October 11, 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

Lulea

$584 32.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 36% $210

Groceries & Markets

Lulea

$404 22.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 36% $145

Eating Out

Lulea

$259 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 21.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lulea

$219 12%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 37.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Lulea

$195 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 42.1% $82

Getting Around

Lulea

$88 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 40.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Lulea

$71 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 2.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Lulea and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 231% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $96.0 in Lulea vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lulea

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:44 1:44 PM

06:44 6:44 AM

7 h behind Lulea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,864

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lulea Playa del Carmen 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lulea
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Lulea. 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 runs 231% higher in Lulea, 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: $783 in Lulea versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Lulea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $96.0 in Lulea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,820 in Lulea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lulea. 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 – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lulea and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.