Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stabio

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,425 in Stabio, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Stabio, Switzerland
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Stabio
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,425
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,425 in Stabio, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Stabio $3,425

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,492 in Stabio, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Stabio $5,492

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,560 in Stabio, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Stabio $7,560

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

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Stabio is 153% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$202
$34.94 CHF 28.92
-68.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$820
$177 CHF 147
-75.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$218
$19.37 CHF 16.03
-39.29%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.3
$4.81 CHF 3.98
-23.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.88
$5.54 CHF 4.59
-75.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.30
$4.37 CHF 3.62
-81.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.8
$9.66 CHF 8.00
-68.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.6
$7.30 CHF 6.04
-32.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.27
$2.16 CHF 1.79
-31.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.10
$3.67 CHF 3.04
-39.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.43
$4.22 CHF 3.49
-64.93%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$46.17
$7.01 CHF 5.80
-64.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$26.24 CHF 21.72
-71.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$148
$28.39 CHF 23.50
-71.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$233
$39.68 CHF 32.84
-68.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.5
$3.36 CHF 2.78
-17.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.47
$1.65 CHF 1.37
-13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.55
$2.56 CHF 2.12
2.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.64
$5.41 CHF 4.48
-60.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.52
$1.78 CHF 1.47
13.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.88
$2.08 CHF 1.72
-4.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.09
$2.28 CHF 1.89
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.26
$1.23 CHF 1.02
-2.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$79.0
$10.85 CHF 8.98
-60.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$186
$14.42 CHF 11.93
-30.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.52
$3.01 CHF 2.49
-48.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.36
$3.90 CHF 3.23
-31.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.77
$3.93 CHF 3.25
-86.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$510
$115 CHF 95.3
-76.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$91.0
$7.18 CHF 5.94
-31.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.7
$5.71 CHF 4.73
-39.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.8
$36.82 CHF 30.47
-85.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.86
$2.33 CHF 1.92
-37.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$392.5K
$38.8K CHF 32.1K
-45.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$427.0K
$40.0K CHF 33.1K
-42.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,583
$284 CHF 235
-69.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$435
$25.68 CHF 21.25
-8.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$527
$49.18 CHF 40.70
-42.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,154
$102 CHF 84.0
-38.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$532
$48.09 CHF 39.80
-40.36%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.7
$21.37 CHF 17.69
-76.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,730
$3,227 CHF 2,671
-93.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$73.2K
$34.9K CHF 28.8K
-88.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$823
$109 CHF 89.9
-59.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$767
$49.00 CHF 40.55
-15.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,349
$153 CHF 127
-52.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,662
$166 CHF 138
-46.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.2K
$1,798 CHF 1,488
-45.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,914
$1,450 CHF 1,200
-74.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.2K
$3,344 CHF 2,768
-49.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.3K
$2,728 CHF 2,258
-59.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.3K
$16.5K CHF 13.7K
-76.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.8K
$12.8K CHF 10.6K
-52.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Stabio
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
1.9
502.63%

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 Stabio: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Stabio
$1.4K 289% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Stabio
$592 129% $334
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Stabio
$498 149% $298
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Stabio
$359 162% $222
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Stabio
$215 92.4% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Stabio
$144 99.3% $72
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Stabio
$167 222% $115

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,798 in Stabio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $177 in Stabio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $592 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇨🇭 Stabio
🕒 Local time
19:45 7:45 PM
01:45 1:45 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
4,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.55 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Stabio 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Stabio

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 Stabio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Stabio?
Yes – Stabio is pricier by about 184%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,137 in Stabio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $979 there versus $1,798 in Stabio.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Stabio?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,425 in Stabio. That’s a gap of about 184%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 76% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Stabio?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Stabio at $3,425. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stabio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Stabio more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 184% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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