Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,203 a month against $1,929 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tumba, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,203
/mo nomad
Tumba
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,929
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,929 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,203
  • Tumba $1,929

A couple spends around $2,084 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,940 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,084
  • Tumba $2,940

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,952 in Tumba, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,965
  • Tumba $3,952

Playa del Carmen is about 38% cheaper than Tumba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Tumba is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.72 MX$198
$14.27 SEK 140
-24.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.71 MX$790
$65.6 SEK 642
-34.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.86 MX$219
$10.20 SEK 99.9
16.27%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.3
$4.35 SEK 42.53
-12.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 MX$23.80
$2.72 SEK 26.67
-52.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MX$15.23
$2.29 SEK 22.37
-64.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 MX$56.8
$7.12 SEK 69.7
-56.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.99 MX$92.2
$7.31 SEK 71.5
-31.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 MX$27.53
$1.81 SEK 17.73
-17.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.26 MX$41.85
$3.06 SEK 29.93
-26.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.40 MX$25.83
$3.96 SEK 38.72
-64.65%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$45.72
$5.31 SEK 51.9
-53.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.25 MX$134
$12.72 SEK 125
-43.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.09 MX$150
$13.25 SEK 130
-38.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.87 MX$238
$17.23 SEK 169
-25.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.89 MX$53.5
$3.26 SEK 31.93
-11.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.62
$2.71 SEK 26.48
-46.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 MX$48.27
$2.08 SEK 20.37
25.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 MX$39.41
$4.65 SEK 45.48
-54.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.80
$1.51 SEK 14.78
31.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.03
$1.82 SEK 17.86
3.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.35
$2.35 SEK 22.96
-51.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.23 MX$22.84
$1.86 SEK 18.16
-33.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.45 MX$82.3
$7.48 SEK 73.2
-40.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.61 MX$178
$10.20 SEK 99.9
-5.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 MX$29.60
$2.01 SEK 19.71
-20.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 MX$49.63
$2.37 SEK 23.16
13.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.46
$4.24 SEK 41.52
-86.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.54 MX$491
$102 SEK 1,003
-74.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.79 MX$88.6
$5.95 SEK 58.3
-19.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.29 MX$60.9
$1.55 SEK 15.14
112.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$99.7
$57.0 SEK 558
-90.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$27.08
$1.78 SEK 17.40
-17.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K MX$390.0K
$33.8K SEK 330.4K
-37.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K MX$433.5K
$33.9K SEK 331.8K
-30.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.9 MX$1,552
$177 SEK 1,735
-52.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.11 MX$428
$22.03 SEK 216
4.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.32 MX$524
$47.48 SEK 465
-40.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.7 MX$975
$41.79 SEK 409
26.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.94 MX$572
$26.65 SEK 261
16.10%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$91.8
$17.50 SEK 171
-71.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$203 MX$3,761
$154 SEK 1,504
32.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,245 MX$97.0K
$4,882 SEK 47.8K
7.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.12 MX$816
$115 SEK 1,128
-61.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.37 MX$765
$54.0 SEK 528
-23.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.8 MX$1,366
$97.8 SEK 957
-24.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.0 MX$1,665
$182 SEK 1,784
-50.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$988 MX$18.3K
$804 SEK 7,866
22.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,074
$622 SEK 6,084
-38.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,667 MX$30.8K
$1,380 SEK 13.5K
20.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 MX$20.1K
$1,037 SEK 10.2K
4.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,942 MX$72.9K
$4,114 SEK 40.3K
-4.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,102 MX$112.9K
$2,930 SEK 28.7K
108.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Tumba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$907 MX$16.8K
-
-
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: November 8, 2026

Last update for Tumba: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Tumba
$622 62.5% $239
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
Tumba
$381 46.7% $121
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$201
Tumba
$267 33.1% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$135
Tumba
$247 82.3% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Tumba
$202 80.2% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$63
Tumba
$77 22.6% $14
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Tumba
$133 166% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $988 in Playa del Carmen versus $804 in Tumba. 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 $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $66 in Tumba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $381 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Tumba
🕒 Local time
13:57 1:57 PM
19:57 7:57 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
42,344
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.79 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.99 SEK (100 SEK = 9.1 EUR).

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

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 Tumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Tumba?
Yes – Tumba is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,805 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,893 in Tumba. 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 Tumba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $804 there versus $988 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Tumba?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,203 in Playa del Carmen and $1,929 in Tumba. That makes Playa del Carmen about 38% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 74% 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 Tumba?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Tumba at $1,929. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tumba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Tumba?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,203 in Playa del Carmen to $1,929 in Tumba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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?