Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Skovde

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,791 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
Learn more

Skovde Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,791 in Skovde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Skovde $1,791

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,796 in Skovde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Skovde $2,796

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,801 in Skovde, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Skovde $3,801

Playa del Carmen is about 33% cheaper than Skovde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Skovde is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$13.15 SEK 130

-17.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$82.2 SEK 814

-46.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$10.25 SEK 102

14.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$4.14 SEK 41.06

-11.11%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$3.04 SEK 30.12

-55.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$2.33 SEK 23.09

-64.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$8.12 SEK 80.5

-62.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$10.05 SEK 99.6

-50.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.40 SEK 13.84

5.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.86 SEK 28.30

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.59 SEK 45.50

-67.76%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.58 SEK 35.49

-30.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$10.08 SEK 99.9

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$12.86 SEK 127

-38.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$17.98 SEK 178

-30.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$4.13 SEK 40.94

-32.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.67 SEK 26.48

-46.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.66 SEK 36.23

-28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$5.17 SEK 51.2

-58.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.52 SEK 15.10

32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$1.76 SEK 17.44

13.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.66 SEK 26.36

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$1.33 SEK 13.17

-9.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$8.00 SEK 79.3

-46.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$8.20 SEK 81.2

22.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.42 SEK 23.95

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.62 SEK 25.93

1.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$3.61 SEK 35.73

-85.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$84.5 SEK 838

-67.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$5.55 SEK 55.0

-11.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.29 SEK 12.76

165.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$62.5 SEK 620

-91.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$1.77 SEK 17.54

-18.08%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

-36.06%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$33.6K SEK 332.6K

-31.43%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$113 SEK 1,122

-24.64%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$11.00 SEK 109

113.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$47.37 SEK 469

-39.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$38.41 SEK 381

61.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$27.31 SEK 271

5.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$18.25 SEK 181

-72.05%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$129 SEK 1,274

56.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$4,654 SEK 46.1K

-15.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$107 SEK 1,065

-58.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$30.76 SEK 305

34.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$61.6 SEK 611

18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$205 SEK 2,032

-56.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$793 SEK 7,853

23.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$615 SEK 6,089

-39.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,336 SEK 13.2K

25.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,014 SEK 10.0K

8.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$4,079 SEK 40.4K

-3.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,821 SEK 28.0K

117.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,350 SEK 33.2K

-77.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

281.67%

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 Skovde: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Skovde

$615 34.3% 64.9% $242

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Skovde

$369 20.6% 42.9% $111

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Skovde

$268 15% 33.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Skovde

$172 9.6% 25.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Skovde

$182 10.2% 63.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Skovde

$75 4.2% 3.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Skovde

$111 6.2% 115% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $793 in Skovde. 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 354% higher in Skovde, 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 $82.0 in Skovde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $369 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Skovde

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

14:34 2:34 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,466

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Skovde 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Skovde

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 Skovde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skovde is pricier by about 49%, 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 $2,687 in Skovde. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,791 in Skovde. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 207% 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 Skovde at $1,791. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skovde 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.

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, Skovde makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.