Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Falun

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,128 in Falun, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Falun
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,128
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,128 in Falun, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Falun $2,128

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,204 in Falun, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Falun $3,204

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,280 in Falun, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Falun $4,280

Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper than Falun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Falun is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$12.64 SEK 125
-14.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$64.7 SEK 641
-31.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$8.97 SEK 88.9
31.10%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$4.23 SEK 41.94
-13.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$1.79 SEK 17.75
-25.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$2.00 SEK 19.83
-59.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$7.08 SEK 70.1
-56.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$7.10 SEK 70.3
-30.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.37 SEK 13.60
7.30%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$2.87 SEK 28.44
-22.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$4.05 SEK 40.14
-63.46%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$4.53 SEK 44.86
-45.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$12.92 SEK 128
-41.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$10.03 SEK 99.4
-20.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$17.17 SEK 170
-26.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.28 SEK 32.45
-15.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.64 SEK 26.15
-45.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.97 SEK 19.53
32.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$4.66 SEK 46.22
-54.08%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.48 SEK 14.63
36.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.78 SEK 17.61
11.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$2.25 SEK 22.25
-49.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$1.84 SEK 18.21
-34.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$7.28 SEK 72.1
-41.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$10.11 SEK 100
-0.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.92 SEK 18.98
-19.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.26 SEK 22.36
17.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$4.62 SEK 45.81
-88.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$93.8 SEK 929
-70.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$8.10 SEK 80.2
-39.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.97 SEK 19.49
74.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$73.3 SEK 726
-92.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.71 SEK 16.93
-15.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$33.4K SEK 331.4K
-36.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$32.8K SEK 324.7K
-29.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$132 SEK 1,303
-35.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$27.70 SEK 274
-15.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$40.58 SEK 402
-29.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$66.7 SEK 661
-6.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$26.12 SEK 259
9.80%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$16.89 SEK 167
-69.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$218 SEK 2,161
-7.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$4,835 SEK 47.9K
-18.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$97.7 SEK 968
-54.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$51.4 SEK 509
-19.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$93.3 SEK 924
-22.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$203 SEK 2,009
-55.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$1,200 SEK 11.9K
-18.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$900 SEK 8,915
-58.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,877 SEK 18.6K
-10.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,487 SEK 14.7K
-26.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$3,985 SEK 39.5K
-0.91%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$2,808 SEK 27.8K
118.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Falun
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$2,842 SEK 28.2K
-74.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.8
308.93%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Falun: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Falun
$900 141% $527
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Falun
$354 37% $96
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Falun
$244 21.7% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Falun
$200 45.6% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Falun
$200 79.4% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Falun
$100 38.8% $28
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Falun
$130 152% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,200 in Falun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 285% higher in Falun, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $65.0 in Falun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $354 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Falun
🕒 Local time
18:35 6:35 PM
01:35 1:35 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
39,492
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Falun 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Falun

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 Falun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Falun?
Falun costs about 77% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Falun?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,192 in Falun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Falun?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Falun?
Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $218 in Falun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Playa del Carmen or in Falun?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Falun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Falun?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Falun at $2,128. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Falun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Falun?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,128 in Falun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Falun?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Falun?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Falun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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