Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,710 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Helsingborg $1,710

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,636 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Helsingborg $2,636

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,561 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Helsingborg $3,561

Playa del Carmen is about 30% cheaper than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Helsingborg is 26% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$13.35 SEK 132

-18.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$69.2 SEK 686

-36.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$12.75 SEK 126

-7.76%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.53 SEK 44.87

-18.76%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.88 SEK 28.49

-53.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.38 SEK 23.60

-65.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$6.81 SEK 67.5

-55.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$6.20 SEK 61.4

-20.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.47 SEK 14.61

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.69 SEK 26.65

-17.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.93 SEK 29.08

-49.49%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.90 SEK 38.60

-36.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$11.24 SEK 111

-33.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.27 SEK 112

-29.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$15.15 SEK 150

-17.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.14 SEK 31.11

-11.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.53 SEK 25.03

-43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.89 SEK 28.67

-9.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.47 SEK 44.31

-52.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.72 SEK 17.02

17.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.58 SEK 15.64

25.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.86 SEK 18.38

-38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.61 SEK 15.99

-25.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$8.18 SEK 81.0

-47.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$9.09 SEK 90.1

10.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.10 SEK 20.78

-26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.20 SEK 21.77

20.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$3.26 SEK 32.25

-83.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$62.2 SEK 616

-55.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$6.28 SEK 62.2

-21.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.72 SEK 17.00

99.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$60.5 SEK 599

-91.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.80 SEK 17.80

-19.44%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$32.8K SEK 325.2K

-35.54%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$33.8K SEK 335.2K

-31.96%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$103 SEK 1,020

-17.06%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$19.97 SEK 198

17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$33.57 SEK 333

-15.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$38.54 SEK 382

61.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$22.23 SEK 220

29.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$14.82 SEK 147

-65.59%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$176 SEK 1,746

14.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$80.1 SEK 794

-44.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$33.62 SEK 333

22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$87.2 SEK 864

-16.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$107 SEK 1,060

-16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$846 SEK 8,380

15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$652 SEK 6,464

-42.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,399 SEK 13.9K

20.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

1.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$3,133 SEK 31.0K

26.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,265 SEK 22.4K

170.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$2,880 SEK 28.5K

-74.39%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Helsingborg

$652 38.2% 75% $280

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Helsingborg

$337 19.7% 30.6% $79

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Helsingborg

$267 15.6% 33.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Helsingborg

$156 9.2% 14% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Helsingborg

$139 8.1% 24.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Helsingborg

$68 4% 5.8% $4.2

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Helsingborg

$90 5.3% 74.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $846 in Helsingborg. 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 290% higher in Helsingborg, 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 $69.0 in Helsingborg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $337 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

17:29 5:29 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

93,838

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Helsingborg 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,710 in Helsingborg – roughly 42% apart. 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 $2,565 in Helsingborg. 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.

Public transport costs about 126% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $176 in Helsingborg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Helsingborg at $1,710. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Helsingborg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,710 in Helsingborg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Helsingborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.