Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
Learn more

Karlstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,727 in Karlstad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Karlstad $1,727

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,665 in Karlstad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Karlstad $2,665

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,603 in Karlstad, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Karlstad $3,603

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

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Karlstad is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$15.14 SEK 149

-27.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$80.5 SEK 790

-46.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.07 SEK 98.9

16.98%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.86 SEK 47.68

-21.60%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$2.45 SEK 24.01

-47.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$2.16 SEK 21.25

-63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.08 SEK 79.3

-60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.60 SEK 64.7

-25.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.45 SEK 14.22

-2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.83 SEK 27.80

-21.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.68 SEK 36.14

-61.41%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$4.37 SEK 42.85

-42.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.17 SEK 99.8

-28.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$13.96 SEK 137

-44.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$17.73 SEK 174

-28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$2.95 SEK 28.91

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.68 SEK 26.35

-48.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.03 SEK 29.71

-15.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.40 SEK 53.0

-60.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.92 SEK 18.80

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$1.72 SEK 16.84

9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.64 SEK 25.87

-56.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.30 SEK 12.74

-9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-38.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.17 SEK 99.8

-2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.42 SEK 23.79

-34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.04 SEK 19.98

30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$3.13 SEK 30.70

-82.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$80.4 SEK 789

-66.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$5.46 SEK 53.6

-8.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.29 SEK 12.67

158.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$60.4 SEK 592

-91.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.72 SEK 16.90

-16.28%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

-36.70%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

-30.48%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$99.4 SEK 975

-14.68%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$15.73 SEK 154

48.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$43.76 SEK 429

-34.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$45.27 SEK 444

26.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$16.66 SEK 163

73.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$14.08 SEK 138

-63.49%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$126 SEK 1,236

64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$106 SEK 1,037

-59.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$39.85 SEK 391

3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$75.9 SEK 744

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$141 SEK 1,384

-36.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$868 SEK 8,518

12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$575 SEK 5,638

-33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

44.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$867 SEK 8,504

24.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

2.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

121.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

-77.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09

179.95%

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 Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Karlstad

$575 33.3% 50.9% $194

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Karlstad

$370 21.4% 45.3% $116

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Karlstad

$282 16.3% 39.2% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Karlstad

$159 9.2% 16.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Karlstad

$163 9.5% 46% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Karlstad

$73 4.3% 9.1% $6.1

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 108% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $868 in Karlstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlstad are about 4.4 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 $81 in Karlstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $370 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

05:09 5:09 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

62,797

💱 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 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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Karlstad 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,590 in Karlstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $81 in Karlstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,727 in Karlstad. That makes Playa del Carmen about 30% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Karlstad at $1,727. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlstad 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 $1,727 in Karlstad. 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, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.