Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
Learn more

Arbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Arbon $7,651

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

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Arbon is 178% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$30.86 CHF 25.19

-65.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$144 CHF 117

-69.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$19.65 CHF 16.04

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-36.62%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$5.82 CHF 4.75

-77.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$5.11 CHF 4.17

-83.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$9.19 CHF 7.50

-65.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-35.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-29.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-60.05%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-68.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$25.26 CHF 20.62

-71.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$28.83 CHF 23.54

-72.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$41.88 CHF 34.19

-69.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-32.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.43 CHF 1.98

2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-62.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$2.04 CHF 1.67

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.12 CHF 1.73

-10.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-50.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.20 CHF 0.98

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-61.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$16.77 CHF 13.69

-41.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-29.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.34 CHF 1.91

17.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-89.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$100 CHF 82.0

-72.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$6.88 CHF 5.61

-30.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-33.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$36.81 CHF 30.05

-85.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.37 CHF 1.93

-35.44%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-47.09%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-42.23%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$321 CHF 262

-73.96%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$38.33 CHF 31.29

-39.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$54.5 CHF 44.52

-49.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-37.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$41.46 CHF 33.85

-32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$24.19 CHF 19.75

-79.33%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$2,284 CHF 1,865

-90.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-84.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$146 CHF 119

-70.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$65.1 CHF 53.1

-34.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$144 CHF 118

-49.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$187 CHF 152

-52.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$2,023 CHF 1,652

-50.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,740 CHF 1,420

-78.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,949 CHF 2,408

-43.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,929 CHF 2,392

-63.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$14.0K CHF 11.4K

-72.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$11.5K CHF 9,391

-46.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$11.3K CHF 9,239

-92.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.9

502.63%

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 Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 355% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 131% $338

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 140% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Arbon

$414 11% 208% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 119% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 110% $73

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Arbon

$152 4% 200% $101

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $595 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,853

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $3,763 in Arbon – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 68% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,645 in Arbon. 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 $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Playa del Carmen about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% 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 Arbon at $3,763. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon 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, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.