Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vaduz

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,189 in Vaduz, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
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Vaduz Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,189

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,189 in Vaduz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Vaduz $3,189

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,251 in Vaduz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vaduz $5,251

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,312 in Vaduz, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Vaduz $7,312

Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper than Vaduz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Vaduz is 134% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$36.43 CHF 30.05

-70.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$147 CHF 121

-70.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$18.46 CHF 15.22

-36.19%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$6.46 CHF 5.33

-41.02%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-69.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$4.14 CHF 3.41

-81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-55.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.96 CHF 4.92

-17.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-52.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.53 CHF 2.91

-37.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.04 CHF 2.50

-53.29%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$10.59 CHF 8.74

-76.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$27.16 CHF 22.40

-73.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$24.01 CHF 19.80

-67.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$53.5 CHF 44.11

-76.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.57 CHF 2.95

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-65.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$4.12 CHF 3.39

-38.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$2.77 CHF 2.28

-23.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.74 CHF 2.26

-29.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-9.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-46.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.89 CHF 1.56

-37.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$12.46 CHF 10.28

-65.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$17.80 CHF 14.68

-44.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.73 CHF 2.25

-42.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.12 CHF 2.57

-14.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$2.60 CHF 2.15

-78.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$121 CHF 99.5

-77.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$1.96 CHF 1.62

153.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$6.05 CHF 4.99

-44.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.45 CHF 2.02

-41.22%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$36.7K CHF 30.3K

-43.75%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$39.7K CHF 32.8K

-40.93%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$240 CHF 198

-64.61%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$39.80 CHF 32.82

-41.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$66.8 CHF 55.1

-57.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$80.8 CHF 66.6

-29.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$17.89 CHF 14.76

61.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$24.64 CHF 20.32

-79.14%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$362 CHF 298

-42.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$17.2K CHF 14.2K

-77.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$142 CHF 117

-69.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$48.68 CHF 40.15

-14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$176 CHF 145

-57.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$217 CHF 179

-58.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,337 CHF 1,103

-26.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,129 CHF 931

-66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,908 CHF 2,398

-41.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,403 CHF 1,982

-55.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$16.8K CHF 13.8K

-76.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$6,794 CHF 5,604

-9.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$8,989 CHF 7,414

-91.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

7.25

57.93%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vaduz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Vaduz

$1.1K 35.4% 196% $748

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Vaduz

$653 20.5% 156% $398

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Vaduz

$505 15.8% 149% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Vaduz

$346 10.9% 153% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Vaduz

$263 8.2% 135% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Vaduz

$130 4.1% 93.2% $63

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vaduz

$163 5.1% 224% $113

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,337 in Vaduz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vaduz are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $147 in Vaduz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $653 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

06:43 6:43 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

5,800 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.825 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.921 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vaduz 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vaduz

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 Vaduz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vaduz is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,783 in Vaduz. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,337 in Vaduz.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $3,189 in Vaduz. That makes Playa del Carmen about 62% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 78% 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 $1,204, than in Vaduz at $3,189. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaduz 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vaduz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.