Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Taby

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,122 in Taby, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Taby
🇸🇪 Sweden
$2,122
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,122 in Taby, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Taby $2,122

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,043 in Taby, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Taby $3,043

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,964 in Taby, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Taby $3,964

Playa del Carmen is about 43% cheaper than Taby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Taby is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$13.66 SEK 135
-20.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$65.8 SEK 652
-32.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$10.09 SEK 100.0
16.55%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$4.28 SEK 42.41
-14.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$3.58 SEK 35.48
-62.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$2.34 SEK 23.19
-64.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$6.95 SEK 68.9
-55.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$8.79 SEK 87.1
-43.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.70 SEK 16.83
-13.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$3.02 SEK 29.90
-26.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$3.91 SEK 38.75
-62.15%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$5.20 SEK 51.5
-52.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$12.81 SEK 127
-41.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$12.82 SEK 127
-37.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$17.59 SEK 174
-28.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$3.13 SEK 31.05
-11.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.62 SEK 25.97
-45.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$1.97 SEK 19.52
32.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$4.50 SEK 44.60
-52.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.70 SEK 16.88
18.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.80 SEK 17.80
10.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$2.33 SEK 23.13
-51.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$1.90 SEK 18.87
-36.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$7.00 SEK 69.4
-39.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$12.21 SEK 121
-17.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.90 SEK 18.84
-18.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$2.21 SEK 21.90
20.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$4.17 SEK 41.32
-87.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$101 SEK 1,002
-72.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$5.87 SEK 58.1
-16.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.55 SEK 15.38
121.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$57.4 SEK 569
-90.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.84 SEK 18.22
-21.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$33.3K SEK 330.3K
-36.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$32.7K SEK 324.2K
-29.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$177 SEK 1,758
-51.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$27.61 SEK 274
-15.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$40.66 SEK 403
-30.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$17.11 SEK 170
-70.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$156 SEK 1,543
29.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$16.3K SEK 161.4K
-75.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$98.0 SEK 971
-54.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$53.0 SEK 526
-22.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$94.4 SEK 935
-22.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$183 SEK 1,813
-51.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$1,023 SEK 10.1K
-4.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$870 SEK 8,625
-57.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,411 SEK 14.0K
19.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$1,189 SEK 11.8K
-7.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$5,994 SEK 59.4K
-34.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$6,951 SEK 68.9K
-11.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Taby
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$3,306 SEK 32.8K
-77.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
2.8
308.93%

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 Taby: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Taby
$870 134% $498
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Taby
$380 47.1% $122
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Taby
$267 33.3% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Taby
$246 79.1% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Taby
$193 72.7% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Taby
$34 * 52.7% $38
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Taby
$131 154% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,023 in Taby. 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 348% higher in Taby, 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 $66.0 in Taby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $380 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Taby
🕒 Local time
17:59 5:59 PM
00:59 12:59 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
58,123
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Taby 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Taby

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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taby cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Taby is pricier by about 76%, 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 $3,182 in Taby. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Taby?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,122 in Taby. That's a gap of about 76%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 268% 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 Taby?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Taby at $2,122. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Taby 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 safer, Playa del Carmen or Taby?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?