Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,669 in Basel.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,649 in Basel.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $7,629 in Basel.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Basel $7,629

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Basel is 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$30.27 CHF 25.06

-63.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$125 CHF 103

-65.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$17.91 CHF 14.83

-34.23%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-41.56%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-80.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$5.91 CHF 4.89

-86.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$9.41 CHF 7.79

-66.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$9.48 CHF 7.85

-48.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-38.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.04 CHF 2.52

-26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$3.27 CHF 2.71

-56.57%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-68.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$26.34 CHF 21.81

-72.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$27.32 CHF 22.62

-71.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$41.15 CHF 34.07

-69.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.70 CHF 3.06

-24.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-40.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-15.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.54 CHF 3.76

-53.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.68 CHF 1.39

15.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.91 CHF 1.58

-1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$11.15 CHF 9.23

-61.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.90 CHF 9.85

-16.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-35.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-89.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$105 CHF 86.7

-74.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-37.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-27.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$83.3 CHF 68.9

-93.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-40.50%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

-46.08%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-41.31%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$296 CHF 245

-71.31%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$46.31 CHF 38.34

-49.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$63.2 CHF 52.3

-54.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$82.0 CHF 67.9

-30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$58.3 CHF 48.24

-50.38%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$22.84 CHF 18.91

-77.50%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$3,139 CHF 2,599

-93.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-87.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$144 CHF 120

-69.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$79.9 CHF 66.1

-48.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$159 CHF 132

-53.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$195 CHF 162

-54.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$2,087 CHF 1,728

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,646 CHF 1,363

-76.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,618 CHF 2,995

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,966 CHF 2,456

-63.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-77.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-55.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$7,080 CHF 5,862

-89.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.42

373.14%

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 Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 332% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Basel

$584 15.9% 129% $329

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Basel

$490 13.3% 142% $287

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Basel

$405 11% 196% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Basel

$261 7.1% 133% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Basel

$128 3.5% 89.7% $60

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Basel

$157 4.3% 211% $106

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays about 9.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $584 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

174,491

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Basel 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Basel

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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Basel. 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 90% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,669 in Basel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

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