Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mölndal

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,576 in Mölndal, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Mölndal, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Mölndal
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,576
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,576 in Mölndal.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Mölndal $1,576

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,481 in Mölndal.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Mölndal $2,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,387 in Mölndal.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Mölndal $3,387

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 24% less than in Mölndal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Mölndal is 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$13.05 SEK 128
-16.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$70.0 SEK 688
-38.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$11.25 SEK 110
4.71%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$4.94 SEK 48.50
-22.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$2.83 SEK 27.83
-54.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.04 SEK 10.21
-25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$6.93 SEK 68.1
-54.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$6.01 SEK 59.0
-17.97%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.14 SEK 11.22
23.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$1.52 SEK 14.93
46.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$3.10 SEK 30.49
-54.19%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$3.69 SEK 36.19
-31.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$7.03 SEK 69.0
3.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$9.16 SEK 90.0
-15.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$16.87 SEK 166
-24.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.08 SEK 30.27
-9.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.40 SEK 23.56
-42.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$2.81 SEK 27.59
-9.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$4.33 SEK 42.54
-51.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.63 SEK 15.97
19.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.69 SEK 16.60
11.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$1.85 SEK 18.19
-37.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.20 SEK 11.74
-1.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$6.98 SEK 68.6
-38.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$10.05 SEK 98.7
-1.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.98 SEK 19.41
-20.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.22 SEK 21.79
20.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$3.64 SEK 35.76
-84.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$85.6 SEK 841
-68.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$6.17 SEK 60.6
-19.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.73 SEK 16.97
92.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$59.6 SEK 586
-91.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.74 SEK 17.11
-17.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$33.2K SEK 326.4K
-37.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$34.2K SEK 336.1K
-31.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$42.50 SEK 417
99.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$10.11 SEK 99.3
131.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$20.15 SEK 198
42.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$39.70 SEK 390
43.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$28.47 SEK 280
1.55%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$17.88 SEK 176
-71.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$224 SEK 2,204
-7.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$4,439 SEK 43.6K
-11.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$90.5 SEK 888
-52.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$33.64 SEK 330
23.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$71.7 SEK 704
3.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$133 SEK 1,306
-32.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$811 SEK 7,969
20.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$607 SEK 5,958
-37.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,359 SEK 13.3K
25.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,002 SEK 9,838
7.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$3,982 SEK 39.1K
-0.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$2,828 SEK 27.8K
117.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mölndal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.06
274.18%

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 Mölndal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Mölndal
$607 59.3% $226
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Mölndal
$298 17.1% $44
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Mölndal
$260 28.3% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Mölndal
$73 46.8% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Mölndal
$148 32.5% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Mölndal
$75 12.1% $8.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Mölndal
$115 128% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $811 in Mölndal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $70 in Mölndal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $298 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Mölndal
🕒 Local time
23:08 11:08 PM
05:08 5:08 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
60,000
💱 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Mölndal 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Mölndal

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 Mölndal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Mölndal?
Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Mölndal. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Mölndal?
You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,364 in Mölndal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Playa del Carmen compared to Mölndal?
Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $811 in Mölndal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Mölndal?
All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,576 in Mölndal – Playa del Carmen is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Mölndal?
A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 69% less than in Mölndal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Mölndal?
At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,576 in Mölndal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Mölndal. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Playa del Carmen or Mölndal?
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.

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