Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $30,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,790 in Lausanne.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Lausanne $3,790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,672 in Lausanne.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Lausanne $5,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $7,554 in Lausanne.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Lausanne $7,554

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 68% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Lausanne is 183% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$29.72 CHF 24.67

-63.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$117 CHF 96.9

-61.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$17.81 CHF 14.78

-33.07%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$6.03 CHF 5.00

-36.98%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$4.99 CHF 4.14

-73.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$4.10 CHF 3.40

-79.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$10.12 CHF 8.40

-68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$9.39 CHF 7.80

-46.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-34.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$3.96 CHF 3.29

-41.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.33 CHF 2.77

-56.76%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$7.05 CHF 5.85

-65.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$24.14 CHF 20.04

-68.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$27.93 CHF 23.19

-71.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$39.52 CHF 32.81

-67.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.47 CHF 2.88

-15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-33.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.56 CHF 2.12

0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.65 CHF 3.86

-53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.78 CHF 1.48

9.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.97 CHF 1.64

-1.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.73 CHF 1.44

-29.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$10.68 CHF 8.86

-58.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$15.21 CHF 12.63

-35.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.70 CHF 2.24

-42.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-14.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$4.45 CHF 3.69

-88.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$94.3 CHF 78.3

-70.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$7.89 CHF 6.55

-37.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$4.50 CHF 3.74

-21.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$83.4 CHF 69.2

-93.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-33.04%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

-51.21%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-38.12%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$288 CHF 239

-70.98%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$37.56 CHF 31.17

-36.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$52.2 CHF 43.35

-43.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$72.2 CHF 60.0

-10.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$48.87 CHF 40.56

-39.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$23.88 CHF 19.82

-78.69%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$2,913 CHF 2,418

-92.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

-88.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$142 CHF 118

-68.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$77.0 CHF 63.9

-45.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$142 CHF 118

-46.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$212 CHF 176

-56.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$2,280 CHF 1,892

-56.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$1,814 CHF 1,505

-78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$4,204 CHF 3,489

-59.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$3,202 CHF 2,657

-65.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-77.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-54.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$6,565 CHF 5,449

-88.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.95

487.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2% 371% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Lausanne

$586 15.6% 125% $326

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Lausanne

$469 12.5% 130% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Lausanne

$378 10% 176% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Lausanne

$257 6.8% 126% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Lausanne

$120 3.2% 59.9% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Lausanne

$143 3.8% 174% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $2,280 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 766% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $117 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $586 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

14:15 2:15 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

133,521

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lausanne 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lausanne

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 Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen and Lausanne differ by about 212% in total monthly costs ($1,215 vs $3,790 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 766% lower in Lausanne. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,280 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $117 in Lausanne. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $3,790 in Lausanne – a 212% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,790 in Lausanne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Lausanne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 212% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.