Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lund and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,754 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,754

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,754 in Lund versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Lund $1,754
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,901 in Lund versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Lund $2,901
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,049 in Lund versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Lund $4,049
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Lund is roughly 45% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lund is 30% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 127

$10.76 MX$199

19.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 SEK 883

$43.03 MX$795

107.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 SEK 118

$11.79 MX$218

1.02%

Cappuccino

$4.78 SEK 47.40

$3.87 MX$71.4

23.51%

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

$2.80 SEK 27.72

$1.37 MX$25.29

104.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 20.18

$0.84 MX$15.44

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 SEK 76.7

$3.10 MX$57.3

149.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 SEK 67.5

$5.07 MX$93.6

34.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 SEK 16.76

$1.44 MX$26.55

17.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SEK 25.28

$2.23 MX$41.23

14.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.40 SEK 33.66

$1.47 MX$27.17

131.29%

Eggs

$4.54 SEK 45.03

$2.53 MX$46.71

79.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 SEK 122

$7.30 MX$135

68.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 SEK 114

$7.86 MX$145

45.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 SEK 153

$12.79 MX$236

20.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.62

$2.90 MX$53.6

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.60

$1.44 MX$26.53

79.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 SEK 27.71

$2.55 MX$47.07

9.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 SEK 45.94

$2.06 MX$38.03

125.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.82

$2.00 MX$36.97

-15.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 SEK 14.08

$2.01 MX$37.07

-29.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 SEK 25.55

$1.19 MX$22.02

116.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 SEK 15.18

$1.26 MX$23.23

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.85 SEK 77.8

$4.40 MX$81.4

78.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 SEK 109

$9.59 MX$177

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SEK 18.26

$1.59 MX$29.41

15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 SEK 26.47

$2.81 MX$51.9

-4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 SEK 31.46

$0.57 MX$10.47

456.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.7 SEK 631

$27.82 MX$514

129.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 SEK 50.1

$4.98 MX$92.1

1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 SEK 10.52

$3.50 MX$64.6

-69.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.70 SEK 403

$5.40 MX$99.8

653.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.11

$1.47 MX$27.08

17.69%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

54.90%

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

$32.9K SEK 326.2K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

37.70%

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

$78.3 SEK 776

$84.2 MX$1,556

-7.05%

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

$28.05 SEK 278

$23.99 MX$443

16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.44 SEK 411

$29.02 MX$536

42.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.30 SEK 370

$63.0 MX$1,164

-40.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 SEK 272

$29.14 MX$539

-5.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 SEK 146

$4.94 MX$91.3

198.18%

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

$157 SEK 1,553

$204 MX$3,763

-23.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SEK 789

$43.60 MX$806

82.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.9 SEK 563

$43.12 MX$797

31.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SEK 996

$75.8 MX$1,400

32.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 SEK 1,192

$88.6 MX$1,637

35.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 SEK 8,194

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-17.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 SEK 6,647

$374 MX$6,911

79.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 SEK 13.7K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

25.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,176 SEK 61.2K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

56.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,468 SEK 34.4K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-43.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,918 SEK 28.9K

$754 MX$13.9K

286.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

11.45

-73.54%

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

Last update for Lund: October 10, 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

Lund

$671 38.2%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 44.2% $297

Groceries & Markets

Lund

$353 20.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 26.9% $95

Eating Out

Lund

$268 15.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 24.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Lund

$161 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 29.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lund

$148 8.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 7.1% $11

Getting Around

Lund

$87 5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 39.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lund

$67 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 9.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $827 in Lund and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 287% 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: $89.0 in Lund vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Lund

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

17:30 5:30 PM

7 h behind Lund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,800

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lund Playa del Carmen 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lund
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Lund. 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 287% higher in Lund, 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: $827 in Lund versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,754 per month in Lund versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 129% less than in Lund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,754 in Lund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lund. 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, Lund 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 45% less than in Lund. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.