Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ludvika

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,567 in Ludvika, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Ludvika, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Ludvika
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,567 in Ludvika, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Ludvika $1,567

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,609 in Ludvika, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Ludvika $2,609

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,650 in Ludvika, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Ludvika $3,650

Playa del Carmen is about 23% cheaper than Ludvika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Ludvika is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$13.68 SEK 133
-20.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$64.9 SEK 633
-33.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$9.96 SEK 97.2
18.27%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$4.43 SEK 43.25
-14.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$2.70 SEK 26.36
-52.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$2.15 SEK 21.02
-63.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$7.17 SEK 69.9
-55.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$7.11 SEK 69.4
-30.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.71 SEK 16.65
-17.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$2.56 SEK 25.02
-13.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$3.83 SEK 37.37
-62.92%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$5.08 SEK 49.59
-50.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$13.69 SEK 134
-46.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$13.44 SEK 131
-42.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$27.55 SEK 269
-53.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.20 SEK 31.23
-13.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$3.33 SEK 32.47
-58.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$3.54 SEK 34.54
-27.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$4.17 SEK 40.64
-49.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$1.50 SEK 14.66
29.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$1.74 SEK 16.95
8.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$2.28 SEK 22.25
-49.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$1.52 SEK 14.85
-22.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$7.14 SEK 69.7
-39.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$9.88 SEK 96.4
0.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$1.98 SEK 19.32
-20.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.31 SEK 22.50
15.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$13.32 SEK 130
-62.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$2.05 SEK 20.05
62.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$80.7 SEK 787
-93.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.71 SEK 16.67
-15.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$33.7K SEK 329.0K
-38.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$33.3K SEK 324.8K
-29.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$100 SEK 979
-15.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$20.19 SEK 197
15.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$46.79 SEK 456
-38.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
$29.56 SEK 288
93.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
$49.43 SEK 482
-41.51%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$17.23 SEK 168
-70.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$222 SEK 2,166
-6.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$98.9 SEK 964
-56.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$52.8 SEK 516
-21.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$96.1 SEK 937
-22.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$218 SEK 2,123
-58.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$455 SEK 4,440
115.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
$431 SEK 4,201
-11.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
$946 SEK 9,231
80.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
$963 SEK 9,398
11.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Ludvika
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$3,637 SEK 35.5K
-79.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.8
308.93%

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 Ludvika: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Ludvika
$431 13.1% $50
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Ludvika
$410 60.9% $155
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Ludvika
$262 29.5% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Ludvika
$167 22.3% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Ludvika
$209 87.5% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Ludvika
$64 4.9% $3.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Ludvika
$24 * 53.2% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $455 in Ludvika. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ludvika are about 5 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 $65 in Ludvika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $410 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Ludvika
🕒 Local time
09:01 9:01 AM
15:01 3:01 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
26,343
💱 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 = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.76 SEK (1 SEK = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.89 SEK (100 SEK = 9.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Ludvika 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Ludvika

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 Ludvika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Ludvika?
Ludvika costs about 30% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Ludvika?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,350 in Ludvika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Ludvika?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ludvika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Ludvika?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,567 in Ludvika. That makes Playa del Carmen about 23% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Playa del Carmen and in Ludvika?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $222 in Ludvika. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Ludvika?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ludvika at $1,567. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ludvika it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Ludvika?
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 $1,567 in Ludvika. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Ludvika?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ludvika makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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