Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostersund and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,761 in Ostersund, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Ostersund
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Ostersund Living Index
57

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

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Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,761 in Ostersund versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Ostersund $1,761
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,732 in Ostersund versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ostersund $2,732
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,703 in Ostersund versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Ostersund $3,703
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Ostersund is roughly 46% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ostersund is 30% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 SEK 143

$10.67 MX$200

35.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 SEK 677

$43.80 MX$819

56.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 SEK 89.1

$11.79 MX$220

-23.41%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SEK 42.96

$3.79 MX$70.8

14.78%

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

$2.57 SEK 25.36

$1.30 MX$24.26

97.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.01

$0.83 MX$15.59

144.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 SEK 77.0

$3.15 MX$58.9

147.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 SEK 72.7

$4.93 MX$92.3

49.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 SEK 14.22

$1.41 MX$26.35

2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 SEK 29.92

$2.20 MX$41.07

37.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 SEK 47.17

$1.47 MX$27.54

225.17%

Eggs

$3.34 SEK 32.91

$2.50 MX$46.70

33.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.80 SEK 136

$7.29 MX$136

89.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 SEK 116

$7.95 MX$149

48.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 SEK 155

$12.86 MX$241

22.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.47

$2.90 MX$54.2

48.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 SEK 28.83

$1.38 MX$25.87

111.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 SEK 34.84

$2.49 MX$46.59

41.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.52

$2.03 MX$37.97

107.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.87

$2.02 MX$37.88

-20.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.94

$1.90 MX$35.60

-15.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 SEK 23.00

$1.14 MX$21.41

104.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 SEK 15.40

$1.24 MX$23.17

25.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.70 SEK 76.0

$4.27 MX$79.9

80.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 SEK 99.2

$9.81 MX$184

2.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.20

$1.59 MX$29.66

35.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.45

$2.75 MX$51.3

-17.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 SEK 32.20

$0.51 MX$9.63

539.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 SEK 753

$27.39 MX$512

178.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 SEK 60.4

$4.76 MX$89.1

28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.67

$3.25 MX$60.8

-48.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 SEK 600

$5.39 MX$101

1027.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 SEK 17.57

$1.53 MX$28.58

16.34%

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

$30.7K SEK 302.8K

$21.2K MX$396.8K

44.61%

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

$36.5K SEK 360.1K

$23.3K MX$435.1K

56.86%

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

$118 SEK 1,161

$83.5 MX$1,562

40.89%

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

$23.84 SEK 235

$23.19 MX$434

2.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.29 SEK 388

$27.61 MX$516

42.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.62 SEK 371

$56.4 MX$1,056

-33.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.52 SEK 262

$28.19 MX$527

-5.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 SEK 149

$5.00 MX$93.5

202.60%

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

$127 SEK 1,251

$207 MX$3,873

-38.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,587 SEK 55.1K

$5,231 MX$97.8K

6.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 SEK 920

$43.45 MX$813

114.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 SEK 419

$42.54 MX$796

-0.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 SEK 783

$72.8 MX$1,361

9.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 SEK 1,403

$88.4 MX$1,653

60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SEK 8,018

$995 MX$18.6K

-18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 6,022

$382 MX$7,152

59.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 SEK 13.8K

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 SEK 10.2K

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-3.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 SEK 37.3K

$3,909 MX$73.1K

-3.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,495 SEK 24.6K

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-59.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

11.45

-70.48%

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

Last update for Ostersund: 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

Ostersund

$610 34.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 37.3% $228

Groceries & Markets

Ostersund

$370 21%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 30.5% $113

Eating Out

Ostersund

$268 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 25.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostersund

$181 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 25.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Ostersund

$161 9.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 30.8% $50

Getting Around

Ostersund

$104 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 51.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Ostersund

$68 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 2.1% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $812 in Ostersund and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Ostersund vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

6 h behind Ostersund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.13 USD

100 SEK = 9.02 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.87 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.02 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ostersund Playa del Carmen 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostersund
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,642 in Ostersund and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $812 in Ostersund versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,761 per month in Ostersund versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 64% less than in Ostersund. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,761 in Ostersund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Ostersund. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.