Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,443 in Riehen, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,443 in Riehen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Riehen $3,443

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,179 in Riehen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Riehen $5,179

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,916 in Riehen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Riehen $6,916

Playa del Carmen is about 65% cheaper than Riehen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Riehen is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$29.94 CHF 24.79

-63.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$122 CHF 101

-64.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$15.88 CHF 13.15

-25.82%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$6.29 CHF 5.21

-39.43%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$4.87 CHF 4.03

-73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$5.26 CHF 4.35

-85.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$7.06 CHF 5.85

-55.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$6.77 CHF 5.61

-27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-35.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.29 CHF 2.73

-32.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$3.56 CHF 2.95

-60.11%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$7.44 CHF 6.16

-66.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$24.29 CHF 20.11

-70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$25.08 CHF 20.77

-69.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$37.05 CHF 30.67

-65.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.36 CHF 2.78

-17.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$2.45 CHF 2.03

4.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$4.43 CHF 3.67

-52.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$1.72 CHF 1.42

12.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.01 CHF 1.66

-5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.24 CHF 1.03

-4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$11.05 CHF 9.15

-61.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$10.35 CHF 8.57

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$3.43 CHF 2.84

-53.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.44 CHF 2.02

9.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-86.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$99.9 CHF 82.7

-73.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$9.90 CHF 8.20

-49.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$4.08 CHF 3.38

-18.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$73.6 CHF 60.9

-92.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-35.43%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$38.6K CHF 31.9K

-46.44%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$39.9K CHF 33.0K

-41.14%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$341 CHF 282

-75.12%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$41.65 CHF 34.48

-43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$57.8 CHF 47.87

-50.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$88.1 CHF 73.0

-35.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$45.63 CHF 37.78

-36.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$21.31 CHF 17.64

-75.88%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$1,792 CHF 1,484

-88.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$37.0K CHF 30.7K

-89.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$102 CHF 84.3

-57.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$58.0 CHF 48.02

-28.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$165 CHF 137

-55.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$191 CHF 158

-53.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$1,775 CHF 1,470

-44.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$1,498 CHF 1,240

-74.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$3,446 CHF 2,853

-50.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$2,496 CHF 2,066

-56.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$16.8K CHF 13.9K

-76.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-51.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$8,542 CHF 7,072

-91.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.31

395.67%

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 Riehen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Riehen

$1.5K 43.5% 293% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Riehen

$543 15.8% 113% $288

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Riehen

$452 13.1% 123% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Riehen

$440 12.8% 222% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Riehen

$232 6.8% 108% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Riehen

$131 3.8% 94.2% $63

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Riehen

$147 4.3% 191% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,775 in Riehen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Riehen are about 12 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 $122 in Riehen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $543 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

00:26 12:26 AM

06:26 6:26 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

20,970

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Riehen 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Riehen

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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riehen is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,164 in Riehen. 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 $1,775 in Riehen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,443 in Riehen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 65% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Riehen at $3,443. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riehen 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, Riehen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.