Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,952

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,738 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,738

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,524 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,524

Playa del Carmen is about 59% cheaper than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while La Chaux-de-Fonds is 117% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$24.18 CHF 19.95

-54.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$83.4 CHF 68.8

-47.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$17.79 CHF 14.68

-33.78%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$4.54 CHF 3.74

-16.08%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-63.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$4.59 CHF 3.79

-83.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$7.43 CHF 6.13

-57.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-38.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.04 CHF 2.51

-26.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.28 CHF 2.71

-56.71%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$7.83 CHF 6.46

-67.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$26.31 CHF 21.70

-72.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$27.70 CHF 22.85

-72.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$41.41 CHF 34.16

-69.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-21.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-38.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.96 CHF 2.44

-13.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-55.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$1.70 CHF 1.40

14.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-5.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.57 CHF 1.29

-24.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$11.10 CHF 9.16

-61.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.27 CHF 10.12

-18.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-35.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$4.35 CHF 3.59

-87.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$101 CHF 83.4

-73.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$8.09 CHF 6.67

-38.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-29.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$86.6 CHF 71.5

-93.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-38.72%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-48.02%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$40.1K CHF 33.1K

-41.48%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$289 CHF 239

-70.68%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$45.95 CHF 37.91

-49.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$62.8 CHF 51.8

-54.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$73.6 CHF 60.7

-22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$46.67 CHF 38.50

-38.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$22.60 CHF 18.64

-77.26%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$2,918 CHF 2,407

-92.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$20.6K CHF 17.0K

-80.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$144 CHF 119

-69.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$77.8 CHF 64.2

-46.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$162 CHF 134

-54.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$200 CHF 165

-55.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,465 CHF 1,209

-33.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,053 CHF 868

-63.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$3,857 CHF 3,181

-55.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,323 CHF 1,916

-53.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

-76.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$12.3K CHF 10.2K

-50.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$5,123 CHF 4,226

-85.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.42

373.14%

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.7% 177% $672

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.9% 130% $331

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 13% 89.4% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$398 13.5% 191% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 135% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$119 4% 76.4% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$150 5.1% 198% $100

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in La Chaux-de-Fonds are about 7 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 $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $586 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

39,027

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen La Chaux-de-Fonds 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 145% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,427 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,465 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $83 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $2,952 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That makes Playa del Carmen about 59% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in La Chaux-de-Fonds at $2,952. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Chaux-de-Fonds it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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