Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,813 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
Learn more

Aarau Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,813

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Aarau

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Aarau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,813 in Aarau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Aarau $2,813

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,613 in Aarau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Aarau $4,613

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,413 in Aarau, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Aarau $6,413

Playa del Carmen is about 57% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Aarau is 107% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$29.72 CHF 24.51

-63.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$107 CHF 88.6

-59.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$18.33 CHF 15.12

-35.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$5.90 CHF 4.87

-35.42%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$5.27 CHF 4.35

-75.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-83.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$5.95 CHF 4.91

-46.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.48 CHF 5.35

-23.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-31.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-38.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-46.82%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$7.06 CHF 5.82

-64.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$31.59 CHF 26.06

-77.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$29.34 CHF 24.20

-73.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$41.32 CHF 34.08

-69.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.86 CHF 2.36

-2.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.41 CHF 1.99

5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$5.75 CHF 4.74

-63.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.70 CHF 1.40

14.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.94 CHF 1.60

-2.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.11 CHF 0.91

6.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.84 CHF 8.94

-60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.46 CHF 8.62

-4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.88 CHF 2.37

-7.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$147 CHF 122

-81.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$4.51 CHF 3.72

10.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.87 CHF 2.37

16.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$60.8 CHF 50.2

-91.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-34.25%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-46.43%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-39.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$121 CHF 99.6

-29.75%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$28.73 CHF 23.69

-18.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$57.3 CHF 47.25

-49.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$97.2 CHF 80.1

-41.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$61.5 CHF 50.7

-52.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$21.92 CHF 18.08

-76.55%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$3,172 CHF 2,616

-93.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$24.4K CHF 20.2K

-83.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$90.1 CHF 74.3

-51.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$71.5 CHF 59.0

-42.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$109 CHF 89.8

-31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$168 CHF 138

-46.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,263 CHF 1,041

-22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,041 CHF 859

-63.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,272 CHF 1,874

-24.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,155 CHF 1,777

-50.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-49.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$6,963 CHF 5,743

-89.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.31

395.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Aarau

$1K 37% 173% $660

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Aarau

$595 21.1% 134% $340

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Aarau

$447 15.9% 121% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 51% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Aarau

$197 7% 76.5% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Aarau

$141 5% 109% $74

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Aarau

$186 6.6% 269% $136

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,263 in Aarau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aarau are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $107 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $595 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

21,191

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.92 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Aarau 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Aarau

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

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

Aarau costs about 134% 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,220 in Aarau. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,263 in Aarau.

Public transport costs about 82% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,172 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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 Aarau at $2,813. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aarau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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