Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Muralto

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,757 in Muralto, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Muralto, Switzerland
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Muralto
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,757
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,757 in Muralto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Muralto $3,757

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,381 in Muralto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Muralto $5,381

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,005 in Muralto, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Muralto $7,005

Playa del Carmen is about 68% cheaper than Muralto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Muralto is 178% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$198
$31.14 CHF 25.47
-65.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$813
$125 CHF 102
-64.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$17.47 CHF 14.29
-32.51%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.3
$5.69 CHF 4.65
-33.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.07
$4.82 CHF 3.94
-73.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.47
$5.26 CHF 4.31
-84.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.4
$8.89 CHF 7.27
-64.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.6
$8.10 CHF 6.63
-39.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.14
$2.36 CHF 1.93
-40.25%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.75
$3.74 CHF 3.06
-41.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.33
$3.57 CHF 2.92
-58.82%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.34
$8.30 CHF 6.78
-69.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$135
$23.69 CHF 19.38
-69.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$32.41 CHF 26.50
-75.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$44.03 CHF 36.01
-70.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.8
$3.76 CHF 3.07
-22.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.67
$2.31 CHF 1.89
-40.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.23
$2.66 CHF 2.17
-6.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.67
$4.26 CHF 3.48
-52.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.58
$1.78 CHF 1.46
13.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.32
$1.96 CHF 1.60
-3.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.24
$2.10 CHF 1.71
-45.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$22.99
$1.13 CHF 0.92
9.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.3
$10.01 CHF 8.19
-57.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$182
$11.24 CHF 9.19
-12.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.43
$3.00 CHF 2.45
-47.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.0
$2.86 CHF 2.34
-3.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.56
$4.52 CHF 3.70
-88.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$508
$90.4 CHF 73.9
-69.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.4
$8.65 CHF 7.07
-44.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.3
$4.65 CHF 3.80
-30.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$79.5 CHF 65.0
-93.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.36
$2.30 CHF 1.88
-33.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$393.7K
$42.6K CHF 34.8K
-50.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$431.7K
$34.0K CHF 27.8K
-31.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,549
$294 CHF 241
-71.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$430
$30.44 CHF 24.90
-23.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$512
$62.7 CHF 51.3
-55.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,047
$76.2 CHF 62.3
-25.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$523
$49.59 CHF 40.56
-43.15%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$92.8
$25.00 CHF 20.45
-80.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,843
$3,233 CHF 2,644
-93.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.1K
$33.5K CHF 27.4K
-84.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$806
$132 CHF 108
-67.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$789
$68.2 CHF 55.8
-37.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,350
$140 CHF 114
-47.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,640
$171 CHF 140
-48.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$1,789 CHF 1,463
-44.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,097
$1,790 CHF 1,464
-78.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.1K
$3,014 CHF 2,465
-44.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$2,446 CHF 2,001
-55.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.5K
$15.4K CHF 12.6K
-74.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$113.9K
$10.5K CHF 8,567
-41.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Muralto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.03
464.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Muralto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Muralto
$1.8K 368% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Muralto
$613 138% $355
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Muralto
$471 135% $270
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Muralto
$387 188% $253
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Muralto
$230 107% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Muralto
$126 89.9% $60
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Muralto
$140 178% $90

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,789 in Muralto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $125 in Muralto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $613 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇭 Muralto
🕒 Local time
08:34 8:34 AM
14:34 2:34 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
2,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.85 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Muralto 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Muralto

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 Muralto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Muralto compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $3,757 in Muralto – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 68% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Muralto?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,635 in Muralto. 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 Muralto?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,789 in Muralto.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Muralto?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,233 in Muralto. 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 138% more in Muralto, 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 $1,202, than in Muralto at $3,757. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Muralto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Playa del Carmen or Muralto?
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.
Where should expats move: Playa del Carmen or Muralto?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 68% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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