Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Embrach

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,563 in Embrach, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 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 Embrach
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Embrach Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Embrach

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,563 in Embrach, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Embrach $3,563

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,363 in Embrach, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Embrach $5,363

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,163 in Embrach, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Embrach $7,163

Playa del Carmen is about 66% cheaper than Embrach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Embrach is 164% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$30.30 CHF 24.70

-64.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$823

$124 CHF 101

-64.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$221

$18.53 CHF 15.11

-36.37%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.1

$6.21 CHF 5.07

-38.97%

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

$1.30 MX$24.36

$5.43 CHF 4.43

-76.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.65

$4.82 CHF 3.93

-82.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.1

$8.91 CHF 7.26

-64.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.23 CHF 5.90

-31.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.46

$2.15 CHF 1.75

-34.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.23

$3.84 CHF 3.13

-42.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.66

$3.33 CHF 2.72

-55.86%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.89

$7.93 CHF 6.47

-68.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$29.57 CHF 24.11

-75.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$28.12 CHF 22.93

-71.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$41.77 CHF 34.06

-69.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.4

$3.50 CHF 2.86

-17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.98

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-33.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.78

$2.86 CHF 2.34

-12.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.12

$4.13 CHF 3.36

-50.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.03

$1.69 CHF 1.37

19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.74

$2.33 CHF 1.90

-18.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.49

$2.30 CHF 1.87

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.27

$1.28 CHF 1.04

-3.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.2

$9.54 CHF 7.78

-55.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$12.34 CHF 10.06

-20.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.78

$2.81 CHF 2.29

-43.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.6

$3.08 CHF 2.52

-10.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.67

$4.97 CHF 4.05

-89.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$514

$103 CHF 84.2

-73.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.4

$7.07 CHF 5.77

-32.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.0

$4.56 CHF 3.72

-28.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$87.0 CHF 70.9

-93.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.70

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-32.89%

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

$21.2K MX$398.4K

$43.5K CHF 35.5K

-51.22%

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

$23.3K MX$436.9K

$35.7K CHF 29.1K

-34.85%

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

$83.5 MX$1,568

$284 CHF 231

-70.57%

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

$23.19 MX$435

$32.92 CHF 26.85

-29.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$519

$56.0 CHF 45.68

-50.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,060

$84.5 CHF 68.9

-33.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$529

$45.47 CHF 37.08

-38.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.9

$23.65 CHF 19.28

-78.86%

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

$207 MX$3,889

$2,564 CHF 2,091

-91.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.2K

$36.7K CHF 29.9K

-85.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$816

$147 CHF 120

-70.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$799

$66.1 CHF 53.9

-35.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,367

$161 CHF 131

-54.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,660

$188 CHF 153

-52.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,805 CHF 1,472

-44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,181

$1,580 CHF 1,288

-75.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.4K

$3,024 CHF 2,466

-44.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$2,573 CHF 2,098

-58.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.4K

$15.0K CHF 12.3K

-74.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.3K

$11.0K CHF 8,981

-44.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$6,698 CHF 5,462

-87.58%

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 Embrach: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Embrach

$1.6K 44.3% 313% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Embrach

$601 16.9% 133% $343

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Embrach

$473 13.3% 136% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Embrach

$373 10.5% 178% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Embrach

$253 7.1% 127% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Embrach

$132 3.7% 98.3% $65

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Embrach

$153 4.3% 203% $103

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,805 in Embrach. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Embrach are about 8 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 $124 in Embrach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $601 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Embrach

🕒 Local time

02:43 2:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

9,300

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Embrach 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Embrach

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 Embrach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $3,563 in Embrach – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 66% 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 $5,344 in Embrach. 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 $1,805 in Embrach.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,563 in Embrach. That makes Playa del Carmen about 66% 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 Embrach at $3,563. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Embrach 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, Embrach makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.