Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Chur

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,283 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
Learn more

Chur Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,283 in Chur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Chur $3,283

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,109 in Chur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Chur $5,109

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,934 in Chur, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Chur $6,934

Playa del Carmen is about 63% cheaper than Chur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Chur is 141% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$29.44 CHF 24.28

-62.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$111 CHF 91.4

-60.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$15.99 CHF 13.19

-26.33%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$5.67 CHF 4.68

-32.80%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-76.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$5.08 CHF 4.19

-84.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.69 CHF 7.16

-63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.68 CHF 7.16

-43.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-34.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-35.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-66.35%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$7.59 CHF 6.26

-66.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$26.51 CHF 21.86

-72.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$26.64 CHF 21.98

-71.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$39.08 CHF 32.23

-67.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-35.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-4.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-53.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.89 CHF 1.56

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.36 CHF 1.95

-51.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.36 CHF 1.12

-13.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.94 CHF 9.03

-60.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.75 CHF 10.52

-21.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-21.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$5.47 CHF 4.51

-89.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$184 CHF 152

-85.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$7.46 CHF 6.16

-33.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$4.94 CHF 4.08

-32.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$88.7 CHF 73.2

-93.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-35.14%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-47.10%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-39.02%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$232 CHF 191

-63.47%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$31.60 CHF 26.06

-25.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$53.8 CHF 44.38

-46.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$78.3 CHF 64.6

-27.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$33.63 CHF 27.73

-14.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$23.22 CHF 19.15

-77.86%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$2,413 CHF 1,990

-91.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-91.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$91.1 CHF 75.2

-52.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$48.03 CHF 39.61

-13.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$120 CHF 98.9

-38.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$169 CHF 139

-47.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,715 CHF 1,414

-42.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,379 CHF 1,137

-72.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$3,015 CHF 2,486

-43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,550 CHF 2,103

-57.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$7,109 CHF 5,863

-44.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$5,446 CHF 4,491

13.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$8,497 CHF 7,008

-91.36%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Chur

$1.4K 42% 262% $998

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Chur

$576 17.6% 126% $322

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Chur

$455 13.9% 125% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Chur

$318 9.7% 132% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Chur

$193 5.9% 72.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Chur

$125 3.8% 85.2% $57

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Chur

$238 7.3% 372% $188

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,715 in Chur. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chur are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $111 in Chur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $576 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Chur

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

02:06 2:06 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

37,082

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Chur 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Chur

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 Chur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $3,283 in Chur – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,924 in Chur. 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 $980 there versus $1,715 in Chur.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,413 in Chur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 126% more in Chur, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Chur at $3,283. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chur 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, Chur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.