Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
Learn more

Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Olten $6,576

Playa del Carmen is about 60% cheaper than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Olten is 125% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-67.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$122 CHF 100

-63.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-33.52%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-41.49%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-84.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-66.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-34.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-30.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-42.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-61.15%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-70.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-71.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-70.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-72.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-46.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-11.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-54.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-18.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-7.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-55.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-6.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-60.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-44.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-18.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$107 CHF 88.3

-74.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-41.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-24.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-94.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-32.87%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-46.50%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-41.43%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$275 CHF 227

-69.00%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-28.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-40.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-22.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-75.73%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-94.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-90.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$143 CHF 118

-68.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-30.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$167 CHF 137

-56.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$210 CHF 173

-57.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,210 CHF 997

-19.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,035 CHF 852

-63.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,968 CHF 1,621

-14.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-87.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.07

453.14%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Olten

$1K 34% 178% $662

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Olten

$617 20.3% 139% $359

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Olten

$498 16.3% 149% $298

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Olten

$356 11.7% 159% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Olten

$261 8.6% 134% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Olten

$122 4% 68.9% $50

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Olten

$160 5.2% 209% $108

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,210 in Olten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 692% higher in Olten, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $122 in Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $617 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

17,280

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Olten 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Olten costs about 153% 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 $4,573 in Olten. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% more in Olten, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen and $122 in Olten. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap 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 Olten at $3,049. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $3,049 in Olten. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.