Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Trollhattan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,560 in Trollhattan, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Trollhattan
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,560
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,560 in Trollhattan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Trollhattan $1,560

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,406 in Trollhattan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,102
  • Trollhattan $2,406

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,253 in Trollhattan, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,000
  • Trollhattan $3,253

Playa del Carmen is about 23% cheaper than Trollhattan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Trollhattan is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.86 MX$201
$12.10 SEK 120
-10.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.21 MX$817
$81.1 SEK 804
-45.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.76 MX$217
$11.33 SEK 112
3.80%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.0
$2.56 SEK 25.33
43.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 MX$24.79
$1.29 SEK 12.76
3.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.24
$1.34 SEK 13.26
-38.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 MX$56.6
$7.79 SEK 77.1
-60.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.94 MX$91.2
$7.64 SEK 75.7
-35.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$1.38 SEK 13.68
6.52%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$40.95
$2.14 SEK 21.24
3.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 MX$27.32
$2.55 SEK 25.28
-41.96%
Eggs
$2.49 MX$45.99
$3.77 SEK 37.31
-33.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 MX$139
$9.41 SEK 93.2
-20.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.96 MX$147
$9.16 SEK 90.8
-13.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$232
$15.26 SEK 151
-17.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$51.3
$1.33 SEK 13.22
109.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$26.37
$2.45 SEK 24.31
-41.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.62 MX$48.37
$2.77 SEK 27.42
-5.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.49
$2.25 SEK 22.34
-4.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.38
$1.48 SEK 14.69
36.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.74
$1.20 SEK 11.85
65.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.01
$2.03 SEK 20.12
-43.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 MX$22.18
$1.10 SEK 10.88
9.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 MX$78.7
$7.37 SEK 73.0
-42.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.02 MX$185
$7.99 SEK 79.2
25.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.41
$1.39 SEK 13.74
10.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 MX$49.17
$1.94 SEK 19.17
37.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.53 MX$9.73
$3.59 SEK 35.57
-85.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.51 MX$508
$80.7 SEK 799
-65.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.90 MX$90.6
$3.52 SEK 34.86
39.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.43 MX$63.5
$1.85 SEK 18.38
85.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.38 MX$99.4
$54.3 SEK 538
-90.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 MX$26.76
$1.83 SEK 18.12
-20.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$391.0K
$33.2K SEK 329.2K
-36.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K MX$425.3K
$32.8K SEK 325.4K
-29.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.4 MX$1,577
$185 SEK 1,835
-53.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.46 MX$434
$22.61 SEK 224
3.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.43 MX$525
$34.84 SEK 345
-18.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.2 MX$1,149
$34.94 SEK 346
77.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.68 MX$530
$32.68 SEK 324
-12.24%
Cinema Ticket
$5.10 MX$94.3
$14.57 SEK 144
-65.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 MX$3,715
$151 SEK 1,494
33.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,947 MX$72.9K
$5,090 SEK 50.4K
-22.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 MX$820
$100 SEK 992
-55.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.35 MX$764
$40.56 SEK 402
1.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.7 MX$1,344
$89.4 SEK 886
-18.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 MX$1,656
$89.5 SEK 887
0.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 MX$18.1K
$635 SEK 6,290
54.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 MX$6,887
$497 SEK 4,920
-24.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,681 MX$31.1K
$1,002 SEK 9,924
67.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,095 MX$20.2K
$783 SEK 7,760
39.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,949 MX$73.0K
$2,968 SEK 29.4K
33.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,137 MX$113.4K
$2,524 SEK 25.0K
143.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Trollhattan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$738 MX$13.6K
$3,246 SEK 32.2K
-77.28%
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 17, 2026

Last update for Trollhattan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$373
Trollhattan
$497 33.2% $124
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Trollhattan
$279 8% $21
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Trollhattan
$226 13% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Trollhattan
$243 76.8% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Trollhattan
$144 28.8% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$72
Trollhattan
$64 11.5% $8.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
Trollhattan
$108 109% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $635 in Trollhattan. 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 340% higher in Trollhattan, 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 $81.0 in Trollhattan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $279 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Trollhattan
🕒 Local time
05:50 5:50 AM
12:50 12:50 PM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
44,498
💱 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 Trollhattan 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Trollhattan

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 Trollhattan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Trollhattan cheaper than Playa del Carmen?
Yes – Trollhattan is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,340 in Trollhattan. 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 Trollhattan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,560 in Trollhattan. That's a gap of about 30%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 193% 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 Trollhattan?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Trollhattan at $1,560. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trollhattan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Trollhattan 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 Trollhattan?
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, Trollhattan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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