Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,139 in Schaffhausen, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,139 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Schaffhausen $3,139

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,010 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Schaffhausen $5,010

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,882 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Schaffhausen $6,882

Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper than Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Schaffhausen is 131% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$30.45 CHF 25.11

-64.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$122 CHF 101

-64.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$18.19 CHF 15.01

-35.24%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$6.01 CHF 4.96

-36.61%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$5.32 CHF 4.39

-75.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-83.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$8.39 CHF 6.92

-62.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.11 CHF 5.86

-30.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$4.00 CHF 3.30

-44.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$4.25 CHF 3.51

-66.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$7.81 CHF 6.44

-67.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$27.90 CHF 23.02

-73.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$30.45 CHF 25.12

-74.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$42.66 CHF 35.19

-70.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.84 CHF 3.17

-27.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$2.07 CHF 1.71

-33.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.17 CHF 2.62

-19.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.49 CHF 4.53

-61.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.38 CHF 1.96

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.31 CHF 1.90

-50.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.16 CHF 0.95

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$10.82 CHF 8.92

-60.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$12.00 CHF 9.90

-17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.89 CHF 2.38

-45.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.59 CHF 2.96

-25.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-86.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$98.0 CHF 80.8

-72.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$6.10 CHF 5.04

-18.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$2.86 CHF 2.36

16.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$59.6 CHF 49.15

-91.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-35.14%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-46.12%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-40.47%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$229 CHF 189

-63.02%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$28.98 CHF 23.90

-19.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$62.0 CHF 51.1

-53.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$110 CHF 90.7

-48.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$46.30 CHF 38.19

-37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$23.59 CHF 19.46

-78.21%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$3,157 CHF 2,604

-93.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$24.5K CHF 20.2K

-83.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$163 CHF 134

-73.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$54.9 CHF 45.25

-24.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$172 CHF 142

-56.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$150 CHF 124

-40.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,272 CHF 1,049

-22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,192 CHF 983

-68.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,689 CHF 2,218

-36.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,317 CHF 1,911

-53.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$8,110 CHF 6,690

-51.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$8,439 CHF 6,961

-27.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$7,148 CHF 5,896

-89.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.41

375.10%

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 Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38% 213% $811

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9% 146% $371

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9% 131% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2% 134% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7% 117% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Schaffhausen

$157 5% 134% $90

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3% 166% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,272 in Schaffhausen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Schaffhausen are about 9.7 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 Schaffhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $626 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

35,927

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Schaffhausen 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Schaffhausen

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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Schaffhausen is pricier by about 161%, 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 $4,709 in Schaffhausen. 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 $1,272 in Schaffhausen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,139 in Schaffhausen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 62% 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 Schaffhausen at $3,139. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Schaffhausen 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, Schaffhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.