Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Buochs

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,415 in Buochs, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
166

Cost of Living Index in Buochs
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Buochs Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Buochs

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,415 in Buochs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Buochs $3,415

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,026 in Buochs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Buochs $5,026

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,637 in Buochs, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Buochs $6,637

Playa del Carmen is about 65% cheaper than Buochs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Buochs is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$31.08 CHF 25.39

-65.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$121 CHF 98.7

-63.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$16.78 CHF 13.71

-29.74%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.91 CHF 4.83

-35.87%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$5.40 CHF 4.41

-75.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$4.93 CHF 4.03

-83.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$8.79 CHF 7.18

-64.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$6.56 CHF 5.36

-24.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.22 CHF 1.82

-36.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.34 CHF 2.73

-34.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$4.25 CHF 3.48

-65.41%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$7.11 CHF 5.81

-64.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$26.50 CHF 21.65

-72.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$26.04 CHF 21.27

-69.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$41.18 CHF 33.64

-68.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.61 CHF 2.95

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.09 CHF 1.71

-33.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$2.60 CHF 2.13

-4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$4.64 CHF 3.79

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.31 CHF 1.89

-17.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.33 CHF 1.91

-51.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$1.11 CHF 0.91

11.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$10.91 CHF 8.92

-60.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$12.12 CHF 9.90

-19.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.87 CHF 2.34

-44.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.05 CHF 2.50

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$4.59 CHF 3.75

-88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$99.9 CHF 81.6

-72.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$4.69 CHF 3.84

1.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$2.91 CHF 2.38

11.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$62.2 CHF 50.8

-91.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-32.00%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$38.9K CHF 31.7K

-45.40%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$39.6K CHF 32.3K

-41.19%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$235 CHF 192

-64.44%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$29.28 CHF 23.92

-20.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$65.7 CHF 53.7

-57.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$79.1 CHF 64.6

-28.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$46.35 CHF 37.87

-39.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$21.59 CHF 17.64

-76.84%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$1,546 CHF 1,263

-86.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$25.1K CHF 20.5K

-79.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$140 CHF 115

-69.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$89.6 CHF 73.2

-52.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$149 CHF 121

-51.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$172 CHF 141

-48.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,830 CHF 1,495

-45.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,533 CHF 1,252

-75.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$3,141 CHF 2,566

-46.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,234 CHF 1,825

-51.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$14.4K CHF 11.8K

-72.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$10.7K CHF 8,710

-42.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.72

565.70%

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 Buochs: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Buochs

$1.5K 44.9% 301% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Buochs

$577 16.9% 124% $319

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Buochs

$468 13.7% 134% $268

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Buochs

$330 9.7% 146% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Buochs

$248 7.3% 123% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Buochs

$122 3.6% 84% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Buochs

$137 4% 173% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,830 in Buochs. 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 Buochs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $577 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Buochs

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.817 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.92 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Playa del Carmen Buochs 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
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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 Buochs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $3,415 in Buochs – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 65% 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 $5,123 in Buochs. 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 $1,830 in Buochs.

Public transport costs about 73% 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 $1,546 in Buochs. 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 $1,202, than in Buochs at $3,415. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buochs 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 65% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.