Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lidingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,828 in Lidingo, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Lidingo, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Lidingo
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,828
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,828 in Lidingo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Lidingo $1,828

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,796 in Lidingo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Lidingo $2,796

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,764 in Lidingo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Lidingo $3,764

Playa del Carmen is about 34% cheaper than Lidingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Lidingo is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$13.87 SEK 135
-21.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$70.6 SEK 689
-38.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$11.17 SEK 109
5.46%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$2.99 SEK 29.13
27.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$2.30 SEK 22.44
-44.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$2.54 SEK 24.81
-69.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$6.36 SEK 62.1
-50.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$5.41 SEK 52.8
-8.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.39 SEK 13.57
1.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$3.00 SEK 29.29
-26.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$3.73 SEK 36.39
-61.93%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$3.91 SEK 38.17
-35.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$12.29 SEK 120
-40.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$13.03 SEK 127
-40.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$21.95 SEK 214
-42.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.19 SEK 31.08
-12.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.49 SEK 24.24
-44.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$3.75 SEK 36.58
-32.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$4.38 SEK 42.76
-51.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$2.02 SEK 19.68
-3.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.87 SEK 18.24
1.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$2.23 SEK 21.72
-48.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$1.46 SEK 14.26
-19.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$7.67 SEK 74.9
-43.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$13.62 SEK 133
-26.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.39 SEK 13.58
13.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.21 SEK 21.59
20.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
$3.32 SEK 32.42
-83.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
$77.2 SEK 753
-65.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$3.47 SEK 33.85
43.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$2.47 SEK 24.05
34.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$79.6 SEK 777
-93.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.76 SEK 17.16
-18.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$33.3K SEK 324.5K
-37.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$33.5K SEK 326.9K
-29.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$182 SEK 1,780
-53.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$22.86 SEK 223
2.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$43.31 SEK 422
-33.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$37.74 SEK 368
51.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$26.84 SEK 262
7.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$16.72 SEK 163
-69.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$151 SEK 1,474
36.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$5,124 SEK 50.0K
-23.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$106 SEK 1,032
-59.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$39.72 SEK 388
4.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$86.8 SEK 847
-14.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$136 SEK 1,325
-34.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$808 SEK 7,879
21.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$609 SEK 5,944
-37.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$1,369 SEK 13.4K
24.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$1,008 SEK 9,829
6.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
$3,983 SEK 38.9K
-1.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
$2,831 SEK 27.6K
117.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Lidingo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,491 SEK 24.3K
-70.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.53
224.36%

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 Lidingo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Lidingo
$609 60% $228
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Lidingo
$385 51.1% $130
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Lidingo
$242 19.7% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Lidingo
$249 81.7% $112
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Lidingo
$166 48.3% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Lidingo
$71 5.7% $3.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Lidingo
$106 111% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $808 in Lidingo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lidingo 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 $71 in Lidingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $385 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Lidingo
🕒 Local time
16:30 4:30 PM
22:30 10:30 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
48,541
💱 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 = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.76 SEK (1 SEK = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.93 SEK (100 SEK = 9.15 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Lidingo 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Lidingo

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 Lidingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Lidingo compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,828 in Lidingo – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Lidingo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,742 in Lidingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Lidingo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Lidingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $808 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Lidingo?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $151 in Lidingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Lidingo, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Lidingo at $1,828. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lidingo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should digital nomads live: Playa del Carmen or Lidingo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,828 in Lidingo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Lidingo?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lidingo 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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