Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
59

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

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,049 per month in Olten vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Olten $3,049
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $4,812 per month in Olten vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Olten $4,812
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $6,576 per month in Olten vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Olten $6,576
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Olten costs about 153% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Olten sits 125% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.18 CHF 27.33

$10.86 MX$201

205.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$44.21 MX$817

175.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$11.76 MX$217

50.43%

Cappuccino

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$3.68 MX$68.0

70.92%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$1.34 MX$24.79

311.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CHF 4.29

$0.82 MX$15.24

535.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.22 CHF 7.59

$3.06 MX$56.6

201.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 CHF 6.19

$4.94 MX$91.2

52.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.73

$1.47 MX$27.17

43.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$2.22 MX$40.95

74.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$1.48 MX$27.32

157.43%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$2.49 MX$45.99

236.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.10 CHF 21.50

$7.52 MX$139

247.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.77 CHF 22.05

$7.96 MX$147

236.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.34 CHF 38.16

$12.57 MX$232

268.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$2.78 MX$51.3

44.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$1.43 MX$26.37

88.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$2.62 MX$48.37

13.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$2.14 MX$39.49

119.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.02 MX$37.38

23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.99 MX$36.74

7.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$1.14 MX$21.01

123.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$1.20 MX$22.18

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$4.26 MX$78.7

154.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.63

$10.02 MX$185

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.30

$1.54 MX$28.41

81.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$2.66 MX$49.17

22.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$0.53 MX$9.73

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 88.3

$27.51 MX$508

289.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 CHF 6.91

$4.90 MX$90.6

71.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$3.43 MX$63.5

32.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.2 CHF 74.3

$5.38 MX$99.4

1576.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.45 MX$26.76

48.97%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

86.92%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

70.73%

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

$275 CHF 227

$85.4 MX$1,577

222.59%

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

$32.97 CHF 27.15

$23.46 MX$434

40.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CHF 39.13

$28.43 MX$525

67.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 CHF 66.1

$62.2 MX$1,149

29.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$21.01 CHF 17.30

$5.10 MX$94.3

311.96%

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

$3,608 CHF 2,971

$201 MX$3,715

1694.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

956.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$44.39 MX$820

222.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 CHF 48.81

$41.35 MX$764

43.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$167 CHF 137

$72.7 MX$1,344

128.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 173

$89.6 MX$1,656

134.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CHF 997

$979 MX$18.1K

23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 CHF 852

$373 MX$6,887

177.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 CHF 1,621

$1,681 MX$31.1K

17.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 CHF 1,605

$1,095 MX$20.2K

77.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,837 CHF 4,808

$738 MX$13.6K

691.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

11.45

-81.92%

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

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olten

$1K 34%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 64% $662

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$617 20.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 58.1% $359

Eating Out

Olten

$498 16.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 59.8% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$356 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.4% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$261 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 57.2% $149

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 67.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$122 4%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 40.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in Olten versus $979 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 692% higher in Olten, 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 $122 in Olten versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $617 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

05:50 5:50 AM

7 h behind Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Olten Playa del Carmen 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Olten
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

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

Olten costs about 153% 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 $4,573 per month in Olten and $1,806 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.

Groceries cost about 139% more in Olten, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Olten and $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Olten at $3,049. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,049 in Olten. 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, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.