Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vaxjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,665 in Vaxjo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Vaxjo, Sweden
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Vaxjo
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,665
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,665 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Vaxjo $1,665

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,500 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Vaxjo $2,500

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,335 in Vaxjo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Vaxjo $3,335

Playa del Carmen is about 28% cheaper than Vaxjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Vaxjo is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$13.39 SEK 132
-18.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$66.2 SEK 650
-34.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$9.95 SEK 97.7
18.39%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$4.04 SEK 39.64
-5.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$1.52 SEK 14.92
-15.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$1.32 SEK 12.94
-40.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$7.04 SEK 69.2
-54.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$6.50 SEK 63.9
-24.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$1.71 SEK 16.75
-17.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$2.50 SEK 24.54
-11.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$3.88 SEK 38.06
-63.40%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$4.38 SEK 43.03
-42.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$13.31 SEK 131
-45.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$10.59 SEK 104
-27.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$11.83 SEK 116
7.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.28 SEK 32.16
-15.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$1.97 SEK 19.33
-30.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$2.00 SEK 19.60
27.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$4.81 SEK 47.25
-55.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$1.42 SEK 13.92
36.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$1.53 SEK 15.00
23.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$2.21 SEK 21.74
-47.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.37 SEK 13.48
-13.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$7.30 SEK 71.6
-41.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$7.54 SEK 74.1
31.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$1.91 SEK 18.79
-17.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$1.64 SEK 16.13
62.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$3.16 SEK 31.01
-82.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$66.3 SEK 651
-59.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$8.00 SEK 78.5
-37.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.96 SEK 19.22
69.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$80.0 SEK 786
-93.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.68 SEK 16.46
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$33.4K SEK 328.0K
-38.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$32.7K SEK 321.2K
-28.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$88.9 SEK 873
-4.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$29.71 SEK 292
-21.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$30.34 SEK 298
-5.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$35.47 SEK 348
60.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$20.40 SEK 200
41.72%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$16.15 SEK 159
-68.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$153 SEK 1,505
34.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$100 SEK 986
-56.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$29.84 SEK 293
38.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$71.5 SEK 702
3.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$85.8 SEK 842
4.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$812 SEK 7,969
20.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$653 SEK 6,412
-41.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,499 SEK 14.7K
13.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$944 SEK 9,265
13.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$2,523 SEK 24.8K
144.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Vaxjo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$3,119 SEK 30.6K
-76.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.13
177.24%

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 Vaxjo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Vaxjo
$653 71.5% $272
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Vaxjo
$324 27.3% $69
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Vaxjo
$245 21.1% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Vaxjo
$149 8.8% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Vaxjo
$129 15.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Vaxjo
$68 0.7% $0.5
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Vaxjo
$97 91.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $812 in Vaxjo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vaxjo are about 4.2 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 $66 in Vaxjo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $324 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇸🇪 Vaxjo
🕒 Local time
23:06 11:06 PM
05:06 5:06 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
55,600
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Vaxjo 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Vaxjo

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 Vaxjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Vaxjo?
Yes – Vaxjo is pricier by about 38%, 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 $2,497 in Vaxjo. 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 Vaxjo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Vaxjo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,665 in Vaxjo. That makes Playa del Carmen about 28% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 60% 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 Vaxjo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Vaxjo at $1,665. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaxjo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,665 in Vaxjo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vaxjo 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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