Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,740 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,740 in Altstätten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Altstätten $3,740

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,258 in Altstätten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Altstätten $5,258

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,776 in Altstätten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Altstätten $6,776

Playa del Carmen is about 68% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Altstätten is 177% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$30.38 CHF 24.77

-64.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$121 CHF 98.8

-63.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$18.27 CHF 14.90

-35.47%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$6.23 CHF 5.08

-39.17%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$5.40 CHF 4.40

-75.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-83.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$9.25 CHF 7.54

-65.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.50 CHF 6.12

-34.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$2.19 CHF 1.78

-35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$3.63 CHF 2.96

-39.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$3.69 CHF 3.01

-60.16%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$7.92 CHF 6.46

-68.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$26.62 CHF 21.71

-72.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$28.09 CHF 22.91

-71.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$40.58 CHF 33.09

-68.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$3.50 CHF 2.86

-17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.05 CHF 1.67

-32.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$2.73 CHF 2.23

-8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$4.81 CHF 3.93

-57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.80 CHF 1.47

12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-15.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-53.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.26 CHF 1.03

-1.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$10.83 CHF 8.83

-60.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$12.24 CHF 9.98

-19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$2.82 CHF 2.30

-43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$3.09 CHF 2.52

-11.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$4.32 CHF 3.52

-88.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$99.1 CHF 80.8

-72.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$7.50 CHF 6.11

-36.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$4.18 CHF 3.41

-22.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$72.6 CHF 59.2

-92.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.35 CHF 1.92

-34.89%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$42.1K CHF 34.3K

-49.60%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$38.9K CHF 31.7K

-40.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$256 CHF 209

-67.36%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$30.76 CHF 25.08

-24.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$58.5 CHF 47.70

-52.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$75.6 CHF 61.7

-25.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$43.38 CHF 35.37

-35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$20.89 CHF 17.04

-76.07%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$2,539 CHF 2,071

-91.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$34.3K CHF 28.0K

-84.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$134 CHF 110

-67.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$71.0 CHF 57.9

-40.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$165 CHF 135

-56.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$193 CHF 158

-54.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,720 CHF 1,403

-42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$1,812 CHF 1,478

-78.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$2,810 CHF 2,291

-40.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$2,294 CHF 1,871

-52.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$15.8K CHF 12.9K

-75.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$11.8K CHF 9,587

-47.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

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 Altstätten: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Altstätten

$1.8K 48.5% 374% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Altstätten

$591 15.8% 130% $334

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Altstätten

$475 12.7% 137% $275

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Altstätten

$345 9.2% 157% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Altstätten

$254 6.8% 128% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Altstätten

$117 3.1% 76.7% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Altstätten

$145 3.9% 187% $94

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,720 in Altstätten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $121 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $591 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

08:22 8:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

11,145

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Altstätten 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Altstätten

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 Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 211%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,610 in Altstätten. 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 $995 there versus $1,720 in Altstätten.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,740 in Altstätten. That makes Playa del Carmen about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Altstätten at $3,740. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 68% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.