Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,386 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,386 in Meilen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Meilen $3,386

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,977 in Meilen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Meilen $5,977

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $8,568 in Meilen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Meilen $8,568

Playa del Carmen is about 64% cheaper than Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Meilen is 149% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$32.96 CHF 27.19

-66.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$120 CHF 98.8

-63.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$16.48 CHF 13.60

-28.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$6.36 CHF 5.24

-40.09%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$5.76 CHF 4.75

-77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$5.25 CHF 4.33

-85.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.63 CHF 7.12

-63.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$8.56 CHF 7.06

-42.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-35.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-35.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-62.03%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$7.85 CHF 6.48

-67.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$26.09 CHF 21.52

-72.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$25.84 CHF 21.32

-70.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$39.94 CHF 32.94

-68.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.49 CHF 2.88

-20.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.11 CHF 1.74

-35.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$2.71 CHF 2.24

-5.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-52.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-6.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-13.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.36 CHF 1.94

-51.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.26 CHF 1.04

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$11.05 CHF 9.12

-61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$13.29 CHF 10.96

-25.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.25 CHF 1.85

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$4.43 CHF 3.65

-87.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$102 CHF 84.2

-73.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$7.64 CHF 6.30

-34.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-26.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$87.5 CHF 72.2

-93.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-34.25%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-46.53%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-39.77%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$234 CHF 193

-63.74%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$38.39 CHF 31.67

-39.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$64.6 CHF 53.3

-55.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$90.9 CHF 75.0

-37.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$45.64 CHF 37.65

-36.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$23.65 CHF 19.51

-78.27%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$2,822 CHF 2,328

-92.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$42.6K CHF 35.2K

-90.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$138 CHF 114

-68.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$58.1 CHF 47.96

-28.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$145 CHF 120

-48.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$175 CHF 144

-48.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,778 CHF 1,466

-44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,463 CHF 1,207

-73.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,894 CHF 2,388

-40.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$4,088 CHF 3,372

-73.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$16.4K CHF 13.5K

-75.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-51.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$8,262 CHF 6,815

-91.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.72

565.70%

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 Meilen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.2% 284% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Meilen

$572 16.9% 125% $318

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Meilen

$494 14.6% 144% $291

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Meilen

$337 10% 146% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Meilen

$232 6.9% 108% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Meilen

$138 4.1% 105% $71

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Meilen

$150 4.4% 197% $99

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,778 in Meilen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Meilen are about 11 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 $120 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $572 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

20:07 8:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

13,515

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Meilen 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meilen costs about 181% 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 $5,079 in Meilen. 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 $1,778 in Meilen.

Public transport costs about 74% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,822 in Meilen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Meilen at $3,386. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meilen 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, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.