Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Fribourg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,310 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,310 in Fribourg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Fribourg $3,310

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,866 in Fribourg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Fribourg $4,866

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,423 in Fribourg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Fribourg $6,423

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

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Fribourg is 145% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$30.10 CHF 24.79

-64.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$118 CHF 97.0

-63.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$15.27 CHF 12.58

-22.79%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$6.14 CHF 5.06

-36.97%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$4.89 CHF 4.03

-71.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$5.12 CHF 4.22

-83.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$7.18 CHF 5.91

-56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$6.45 CHF 5.31

-21.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-32.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.15 CHF 2.59

-29.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.51 CHF 2.89

-58.12%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$7.23 CHF 5.96

-65.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$23.79 CHF 19.60

-69.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$24.77 CHF 20.40

-68.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$36.43 CHF 30.01

-64.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-17.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$1.68 CHF 1.39

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.46 CHF 2.03

3.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-53.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.78 CHF 1.47

12.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.07 CHF 1.70

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-46.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.23 CHF 1.01

2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$10.98 CHF 9.04

-59.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$10.20 CHF 8.40

-5.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.45 CHF 2.84

-53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.33 CHF 1.92

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.57 CHF 2.94

-84.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$85.7 CHF 70.6

-67.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$9.84 CHF 8.10

-49.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-12.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$72.4 CHF 59.7

-92.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-34.96%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-49.67%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-38.42%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$336 CHF 277

-74.96%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$40.26 CHF 33.16

-40.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$56.2 CHF 46.31

-48.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$58.8 CHF 48.39

7.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$29.82 CHF 24.56

-2.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$21.24 CHF 17.50

-76.74%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$1,762 CHF 1,451

-88.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$35.9K CHF 29.5K

-89.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$101 CHF 83.0

-56.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$57.0 CHF 46.97

-24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$159 CHF 131

-52.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$189 CHF 156

-53.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,570 CHF 1,293

-35.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,434 CHF 1,181

-73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,450 CHF 2,018

-30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,176 CHF 1,792

-49.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$20.6K CHF 16.9K

-80.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$13.7K CHF 11.3K

-55.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$6,808 CHF 5,607

-88.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.31

395.67%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fribourg: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Fribourg

$1.4K 43.3% 283% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Fribourg

$536 16.2% 107% $277

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Fribourg

$449 13.6% 122% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Fribourg

$433 13.1% 215% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Fribourg

$228 6.9% 102% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Fribourg

$101 3.1% 38.9% $28

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Fribourg

$130 3.9% 147% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,570 in Fribourg. 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 803% higher in Fribourg, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $118 in Fribourg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $536 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

12:07 12:07 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

37,485

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Fribourg 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Fribourg

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 Fribourg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fribourg costs about 173% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,965 in Fribourg. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,762 in Fribourg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Fribourg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Fribourg at $3,310. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fribourg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $3,310 in Fribourg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fribourg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.