Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Karlskrona, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Karlskrona
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,636
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,636 in Karlskrona, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Karlskrona $1,636

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,545 in Karlskrona, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Karlskrona $2,545

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,453 in Karlskrona, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Karlskrona $3,453

Playa del Carmen is about 26% cheaper than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Karlskrona is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$12.82 SEK 126
-14.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$814
$66.2 SEK 649
-34.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$8.81 SEK 86.5
33.71%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.5
$4.09 SEK 40.16
-6.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.07
$1.33 SEK 13.07
-3.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.70
$2.25 SEK 22.07
-65.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$6.93 SEK 68.0
-54.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$5.00 SEK 49.11
-1.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.40
$1.46 SEK 14.30
-3.42%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.62
$2.67 SEK 26.21
-16.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.61
$3.66 SEK 35.96
-61.20%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.36
$4.41 SEK 43.23
-42.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$11.01 SEK 108
-34.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$13.05 SEK 128
-41.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$17.37 SEK 171
-26.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.07 SEK 30.10
-9.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.68
$2.32 SEK 22.73
-40.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.89
$3.03 SEK 29.78
-15.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.86
$4.40 SEK 43.20
-51.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.39
$1.49 SEK 14.67
30.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.41
$1.49 SEK 14.67
26.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.53
$2.18 SEK 21.37
-47.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.13
$1.42 SEK 13.98
-16.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.6
$6.99 SEK 68.6
-38.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$12.80 SEK 126
-22.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.73
$2.04 SEK 20.01
-22.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$1.63 SEK 16.00
63.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.39
$2.94 SEK 28.84
-81.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$70.8 SEK 694
-62.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.3
$13.17 SEK 129
-62.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.5
$2.06 SEK 20.26
61.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$80.5 SEK 789
-93.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.11
$1.77 SEK 17.36
-18.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.0K
$32.7K SEK 321.0K
-36.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.5K
$33.2K SEK 326.1K
-29.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,592
$51.1 SEK 501
65.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$28.03 SEK 275
-16.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$538
$36.39 SEK 357
-21.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,071
$41.03 SEK 403
39.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.5
$16.13 SEK 158
-68.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,878
$160 SEK 1,573
28.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$814
$97.6 SEK 958
-55.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$778
$20.06 SEK 197
106.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,393
$79.6 SEK 781
-6.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,676
$179 SEK 1,757
-50.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$681 SEK 6,679
43.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,150
$576 SEK 5,649
-33.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,097 SEK 10.8K
55.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$937 SEK 9,196
14.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.0K
$2,929 SEK 28.7K
34.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.6K
$2,526 SEK 24.8K
143.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Karlskrona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,463 SEK 24.2K
-70.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.22
171.33%

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 Karlskrona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Karlskrona
$576 51.2% $195
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Karlskrona
$360 41.2% $105
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Karlskrona
$237 17.1% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Karlskrona
$116 15.6% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Karlskrona
$169 51.6% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Karlskrona
$73 8.9% $6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Karlskrona
$106 110% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $681 in Karlskrona. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlskrona are about 3.4 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 $66 in Karlskrona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $360 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Karlskrona
🕒 Local time
21:01 9:01 PM
03:01 3:01 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
35,212
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Karlskrona 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Karlskrona?
Yes – Karlskrona is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,455 in Karlskrona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlskrona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $681 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Is eating out cheaper in Playa del Carmen or in Karlskrona?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $66 in Karlskrona. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Karlskrona?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,636 in Karlskrona. That makes Playa del Carmen about 26% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Karlskrona?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Karlskrona at $1,636. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlskrona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Karlskrona?
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 $1,636 in Karlskrona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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