Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Acquarossa

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,691 in Acquarossa, rent and utilities included – about $29,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Acquarossa
Learn more

Acquarossa Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Acquarossa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Acquarossa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,691 in Acquarossa.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Acquarossa $3,691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,627 in Acquarossa.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Acquarossa $5,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $7,563 in Acquarossa.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Acquarossa $7,563

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 67% less than in Acquarossa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Acquarossa is 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$34.45 CHF 28.13

-69.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$143 CHF 117

-69.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$18.05 CHF 14.74

-34.68%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$7.13 CHF 5.82

-46.84%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$5.77 CHF 4.71

-77.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$5.45 CHF 4.45

-84.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$9.40 CHF 7.67

-66.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$8.56 CHF 6.99

-42.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.14 CHF 1.75

-34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.96 CHF 3.23

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.76 CHF 3.07

-60.90%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$8.63 CHF 7.05

-71.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$26.42 CHF 21.57

-72.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$28.90 CHF 23.60

-72.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$59.8 CHF 48.86

-78.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$4.22 CHF 3.45

-31.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.83 CHF 2.31

-51.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$3.50 CHF 2.86

-28.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.51 CHF 3.68

-54.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.51 CHF 2.05

-19.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.50 CHF 2.04

-54.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-3.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.02 CHF 9.00

-61.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.62 CHF 11.12

-27.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.94 CHF 2.40

-45.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.14 CHF 2.57

-12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$4.58 CHF 3.74

-88.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$100 CHF 81.9

-72.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$7.95 CHF 6.49

-40.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$4.55 CHF 3.71

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$89.7 CHF 73.2

-93.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-33.48%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$38.8K CHF 31.7K

-45.30%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$39.3K CHF 32.1K

-40.82%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$279 CHF 227

-70.03%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$39.62 CHF 32.34

-41.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$54.1 CHF 44.14

-48.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$83.1 CHF 67.9

-32.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$45.51 CHF 37.16

-38.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$24.06 CHF 19.65

-79.22%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$3,419 CHF 2,792

-93.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$40.8K CHF 33.3K

-87.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$141 CHF 115

-69.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$53.9 CHF 44.01

-21.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$159 CHF 130

-54.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$243 CHF 199

-63.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,822 CHF 1,487

-45.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,570 CHF 1,282

-75.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,892 CHF 2,361

-42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,542 CHF 2,075

-57.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$15.0K CHF 12.3K

-74.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$11.0K CHF 9,007

-44.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$12.0K CHF 9,808

-93.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.03

464.04%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Acquarossa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Acquarossa

$1.6K 42.5% 311% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Acquarossa

$674 18.3% 162% $417

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Acquarossa

$524 14.2% 162% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Acquarossa

$372 10.1% 177% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Acquarossa

$269 7.3% 142% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Acquarossa

$131 3.6% 97.6% $65

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Acquarossa

$149 4.1% 196% $99

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,822 in Acquarossa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acquarossa pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $143 in Acquarossa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $674 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Acquarossa

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Acquarossa 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Acquarossa

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 Acquarossa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Acquarossa. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,822 in Acquarossa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 162% higher in Acquarossa. 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 $44 versus $143 in Acquarossa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,691 in Acquarossa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Acquarossa. 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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Acquarossa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.