Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lund

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,777 in Lund, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Lund
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Lund Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Lund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,777 in Lund.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Lund $1,777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,144 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,922 in Lund.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Lund $2,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,072 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,067 in Lund.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Lund $4,067

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 32% less than in Lund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 9% below, Lund is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$12.72 SEK 127

-13.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$91.0 SEK 909

-50.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$11.72 SEK 117

1.71%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.60 SEK 46.01

-17.39%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$2.79 SEK 27.88

-53.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$2.07 SEK 20.65

-58.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$8.18 SEK 81.7

-60.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$6.79 SEK 67.9

-26.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$1.63 SEK 16.28

-10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$2.55 SEK 25.47

-8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$3.38 SEK 33.74

-57.40%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$4.57 SEK 45.63

-46.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$12.53 SEK 125

-38.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$11.84 SEK 118

-33.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$15.33 SEK 153

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$3.06 SEK 30.63

-4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-44.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$2.83 SEK 28.26

-9.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$4.68 SEK 46.78

-54.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$1.70 SEK 16.98

14.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$1.43 SEK 14.25

35.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.55 SEK 25.50

-54.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.52 SEK 15.20

-19.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$8.10 SEK 81.0

-45.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$11.15 SEK 111

-11.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.85 SEK 18.50

-16.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$2.73 SEK 27.27

-0.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$3.28 SEK 32.79

-84.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$63.3 SEK 632

-56.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$5.08 SEK 50.7

-3.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$1.10 SEK 11.02

220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$41.40 SEK 414

-86.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.80 SEK 17.97

-14.44%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$33.1K SEK 331.0K

-35.88%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$32.8K SEK 328.1K

-25.41%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$76.4 SEK 764

9.42%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$28.05 SEK 280

-14.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$41.33 SEK 413

-29.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$38.07 SEK 381

70.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$27.39 SEK 274

7.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$15.11 SEK 151

-66.31%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$157 SEK 1,571

32.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$78.5 SEK 785

-43.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$56.6 SEK 566

-25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$97.7 SEK 976

-22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$121 SEK 1,213

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$826 SEK 8,255

19.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$672 SEK 6,716

-42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,697 SEK 17.0K

0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$1,365 SEK 13.6K

-18.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$6,116 SEK 61.1K

-34.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$3,597 SEK 35.9K

73.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$2,871 SEK 28.7K

-73.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.03

277.89%

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 Lund: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Lund

$672 38.3% 74.5% $287

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Lund

$355 20.3% 36.5% $95

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Lund

$266 15.2% 30.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Lund

$146 8.3% 6.4% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Lund

$159 9.1% 39.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Lund

$68 3.9% 9% $6.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Lund

$87 5% 67.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $986 in Playa del Carmen and $826 in Lund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lund pays 279% 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 $91.0 in Lund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $355 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Lund

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

82,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.93 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lund 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lund

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 Lund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Lund. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 279% lower in Lund. 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 $826 in Lund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,777 in Lund – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 131% less than in Lund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,777 in Lund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lund. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,215 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Lund 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 46% less than in Lund. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.