Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sion

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,284 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,284 in Sion, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sion $3,284

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,915 in Sion, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sion $4,915

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,546 in Sion, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sion $6,546

Playa del Carmen is about 63% cheaper than Sion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Sion is 141% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$29.93 CHF 24.69

-63.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$90.2 CHF 74.4

-51.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$19.21 CHF 15.85

-38.68%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-18.24%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$5.39 CHF 4.44

-76.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$4.17 CHF 3.44

-81.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$7.32 CHF 6.04

-56.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-33.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.02 CHF 1.67

-30.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.71 CHF 3.06

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-64.68%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$7.23 CHF 5.96

-65.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$25.77 CHF 21.25

-71.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$22.80 CHF 18.80

-66.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$39.58 CHF 32.64

-67.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.28 CHF 2.71

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.70 CHF 1.40

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$2.54 CHF 2.10

0.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$6.35 CHF 5.24

-66.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.81 CHF 1.49

7.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.15 CHF 1.78

-12.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.17 CHF 0.96

0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$10.96 CHF 9.04

-60.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$14.59 CHF 12.03

-31.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.79 CHF 1.48

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.88 CHF 1.55

42.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$5.17 CHF 4.27

-89.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$179 CHF 147

-85.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$5.93 CHF 4.89

-16.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$5.39 CHF 4.45

-38.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$49.11 CHF 40.51

-89.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-37.39%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-47.57%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

-37.57%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$309 CHF 255

-72.58%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$25.35 CHF 20.91

-7.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$48.26 CHF 39.80

-40.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$137 CHF 113

-58.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$55.4 CHF 45.71

-47.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$20.33 CHF 16.77

-74.72%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$974 CHF 804

-78.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$38.2K CHF 31.5K

-89.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$110 CHF 91.0

-60.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$49.30 CHF 40.66

-15.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$165 CHF 136

-55.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$172 CHF 142

-48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,231 CHF 1,015

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,269 CHF 1,047

-69.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,308 CHF 1,904

-26.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,091 CHF 1,724

-48.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$7,526 CHF 6,207

-47.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$5,552 CHF 4,579

10.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$5,816 CHF 4,797

-87.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.15

432.56%

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 Sion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sion

$1.3K 38.6% 233% $888

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sion

$556 16.9% 118% $302

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sion

$443 13.5% 119% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sion

$383 11.7% 180% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sion

$224 6.8% 100% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sion

$178 5.4% 164% $110

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sion

$232 7.1% 360% $182

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,231 in Sion. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sion are about 7.9 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 $90 in Sion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $556 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Sion

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,599

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.92 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sion

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 Sion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sion is pricier by about 173%, 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 $4,926 in Sion. 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 $1,231 in Sion.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,284 in Sion. That makes Playa del Carmen about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 85% 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 Sion at $3,284. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sion 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, Sion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.