Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gothenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,008 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
Learn more

Gothenburg Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,008 in Gothenburg.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gothenburg $2,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,067 in Gothenburg.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gothenburg $3,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,127 in Gothenburg.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gothenburg $4,127

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 40% less than in Gothenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Gothenburg is 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$13.67 SEK 134

-20.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$86.7 SEK 851

-49.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$12.40 SEK 122

-5.00%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$5.04 SEK 49.48

-24.40%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.99 SEK 29.31

-57.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.33 SEK 22.89

-66.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.88 SEK 67.5

-53.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.57 SEK 74.3

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.73 SEK 16.97

-18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.79 SEK 27.36

-20.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.26 SEK 31.97

-56.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.90 SEK 38.26

-35.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$11.25 SEK 110

-35.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$11.57 SEK 114

-33.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$16.43 SEK 161

-22.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.01 SEK 29.54

-7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.45 SEK 24.06

-44.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.90 SEK 28.48

-12.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.49 SEK 44.09

-52.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.83 SEK 17.95

6.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.67 SEK 16.36

13.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.05 SEK 20.11

-43.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-26.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$8.35 SEK 81.9

-48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$15.18 SEK 149

-34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.04 SEK 20.04

-22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.25 SEK 22.12

18.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$3.83 SEK 37.56

-85.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$86.4 SEK 848

-69.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$6.21 SEK 60.9

-19.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.67 SEK 16.37

99.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$59.2 SEK 581

-90.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.75 SEK 17.20

-17.71%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$33.4K SEK 327.9K

-38.15%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$33.8K SEK 331.7K

-30.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$104 SEK 1,017

-18.17%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$19.70 SEK 193

18.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$34.35 SEK 337

-16.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$34.01 SEK 334

67.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$24.39 SEK 239

18.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$16.98 SEK 167

-69.73%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$222 SEK 2,180

-7.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$4,336 SEK 42.6K

-9.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$88.7 SEK 870

-51.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$32.91 SEK 323

25.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$87.8 SEK 861

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$134 SEK 1,315

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,107 SEK 10.9K

-11.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$874 SEK 8,575

-56.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,861 SEK 18.3K

-8.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,400 SEK 13.7K

-23.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$6,415 SEK 63.0K

-38.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$4,026 SEK 39.5K

52.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,521 SEK 34.6K

-79.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.06

274.18%

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 Gothenburg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gothenburg

$874 43.5% 129% $493

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gothenburg

$360 17.9% 41.2% $105

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gothenburg

$278 13.8% 37.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gothenburg

$158 7.9% 15.2% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gothenburg

$155 7.7% 38.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gothenburg

$68 3.4% 1% $0.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gothenburg

$116 5.8% 130% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $87 in Gothenburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $360 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

20:20 8:20 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

607,882

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gothenburg 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gothenburg

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 Gothenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Gothenburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,107 in Gothenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $222 in Gothenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,008 in Gothenburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.