Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Solna

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,760 in Solna, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
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Solna Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,760 in Solna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Solna $1,760

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,721 in Solna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Solna $2,721

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,682 in Solna, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Solna $3,682

Playa del Carmen is about 31% cheaper than Solna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Solna is 30% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$14.11 SEK 140

-23.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$66.0 SEK 653

-34.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$11.19 SEK 111

5.36%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.74 SEK 46.94

-18.35%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$2.26 SEK 22.44

-39.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.42 SEK 14.10

-40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$7.48 SEK 74.1

-58.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$7.32 SEK 72.5

-30.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.38 SEK 13.71

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.54 SEK 25.13

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.51 SEK 34.82

-58.12%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$3.88 SEK 38.47

-34.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$9.11 SEK 90.2

-19.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$12.75 SEK 126

-38.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$21.97 SEK 218

-41.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.18 SEK 31.53

-8.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.03 SEK 20.08

-29.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.45 SEK 24.29

4.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$2.92 SEK 28.93

-29.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$1.47 SEK 14.54

36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.87 SEK 18.49

7.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.11 SEK 20.94

-43.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.02 SEK 10.09

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$7.38 SEK 73.1

-40.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$13.19 SEK 131

-27.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$1.37 SEK 13.57

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.20 SEK 21.82

27.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$4.17 SEK 41.30

-86.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$95.7 SEK 948

-70.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.56 SEK 35.24

39.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.51 SEK 24.83

39.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$80.4 SEK 796

-93.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.80 SEK 17.87

-18.33%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$33.4K SEK 330.5K

-37.08%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$32.4K SEK 320.9K

-26.18%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$103 SEK 1,022

-18.35%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$22.72 SEK 225

5.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$40.38 SEK 400

-28.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$37.85 SEK 375

66.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$26.05 SEK 258

11.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$14.67 SEK 145

-66.33%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$152 SEK 1,505

34.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$5,015 SEK 49.7K

-21.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$105 SEK 1,039

-58.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$40.38 SEK 400

6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$86.8 SEK 860

-12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$135 SEK 1,334

-34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$794 SEK 7,869

26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$619 SEK 6,132

-39.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

26.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$1,032 SEK 10.2K

7.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$6,838 SEK 67.7K

-42.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$2,815 SEK 27.9K

119.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,500 SEK 34.7K

-78.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.53

224.36%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Last update for Solna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Solna

$619 35.2% 65.5% $245

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Solna

$345 19.6% 33.4% $86

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Solna

$270 15.3% 33.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Solna

$166 9.4% 21.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Solna

$165 9.4% 46% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Solna

$67 3.8% 7.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Solna

$128 7.3% 144% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $794 in Solna. 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 364% higher in Solna, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $66.0 in Solna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $345 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇸🇪 Solna

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

13:49 1:49 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

85,540

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Solna 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Solna

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 Solna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Solna is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,641 in Solna. 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,760 in Solna. That's a gap of about 45%.

Public transport costs about 244% 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 $1,210, than in Solna at $1,760. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Solna 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, Solna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.