Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Kalmar

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,953 in Kalmar, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalmar
Learn more

Kalmar Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Kalmar

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,953

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,953 in Kalmar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Kalmar $1,953

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,895 in Kalmar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Kalmar $2,895

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,837 in Kalmar, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Kalmar $3,837

Playa del Carmen is about 38% cheaper than Kalmar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Kalmar is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.36 SEK 152

-28.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$813

$71.1 SEK 703

-39.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.47 SEK 104

12.51%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.4

$4.67 SEK 46.20

-18.42%

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

$1.28 MX$24.04

$2.81 SEK 27.82

-54.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.68

$2.55 SEK 25.22

-69.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.4

$9.69 SEK 95.8

-67.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.5

$7.25 SEK 71.7

-32.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.37

$1.48 SEK 14.58

-4.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.57

$3.01 SEK 29.80

-26.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.57

$3.07 SEK 30.37

-53.75%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.30

$4.65 SEK 46.00

-45.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$16.58 SEK 164

-56.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.89 SEK 108

-29.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$22.80 SEK 225

-44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.2

$2.49 SEK 24.59

11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.65

$2.77 SEK 27.34

-50.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.83

$3.57 SEK 35.29

-28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.81

$4.46 SEK 44.11

-52.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.34

$1.67 SEK 16.54

16.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.36

$2.27 SEK 22.46

-16.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.50

$1.93 SEK 19.04

-40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.11

$1.67 SEK 16.53

-29.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.5

$7.79 SEK 77.0

-44.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$9.14 SEK 90.3

8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.69

$1.93 SEK 19.10

-18.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.54 SEK 25.15

5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.37

$3.21 SEK 31.74

-82.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$499

$78.4 SEK 775

-66.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.2

$10.03 SEK 99.2

-50.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.72 SEK 17.02

93.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$47.45 SEK 469

-88.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.07

$1.71 SEK 16.86

-15.79%

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

$20.7K MX$387.5K

$30.2K SEK 298.3K

-31.52%

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

$23.5K MX$440.0K

$29.3K SEK 289.9K

-19.99%

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

$84.8 MX$1,590

$144 SEK 1,428

-41.29%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$27.58 SEK 273

-15.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$537

$32.34 SEK 320

-11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,070

$30.33 SEK 300

88.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$542

$26.38 SEK 261

9.59%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.4

$14.58 SEK 144

-64.75%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$142 SEK 1,399

45.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.6K

$4,986 SEK 49.3K

-21.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$813

$49.41 SEK 488

-12.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$777

$44.31 SEK 438

-6.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,391

$79.2 SEK 783

-6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,673

$100 SEK 990

-10.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$908 SEK 8,977

7.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,140

$778 SEK 7,687

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.0K

$1,325 SEK 13.1K

28.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,123 SEK 11.1K

-4.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.9K

$4,073 SEK 40.3K

-3.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.5K

$2,733 SEK 27.0K

125.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,864 SEK 28.3K

-74.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.93

191.35%

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 Kalmar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Kalmar

$778 39.8% 104% $397

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Kalmar

$384 19.7% 50.9% $130

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Kalmar

$295 15.1% 45.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Kalmar

$204 10.5% 49.3% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Kalmar

$123 6.3% 10% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Kalmar

$59 3.1% 11.6% $7.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Kalmar

$110 5.6% 118% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $908 in Kalmar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kalmar are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $71 in Kalmar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $384 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Kalmar

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

15:55 3:55 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

35,170

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 SEK = 10.12 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 9.88 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.03 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Kalmar 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Kalmar

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 Kalmar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,953 in Kalmar – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 38% cheaper. 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 $2,930 in Kalmar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $980 in Playa del Carmen and $908 in Kalmar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $142 in Kalmar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Kalmar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Kalmar at $1,953. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kalmar 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 $1,953 in Kalmar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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