Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Vernier

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,467 in Vernier, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Vernier
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Vernier Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Vernier

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,467 in Vernier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Vernier $3,467

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,180 in Vernier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Vernier $5,180

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $6,893 in Vernier, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Vernier $6,893

Playa del Carmen is about 65% cheaper than Vernier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Vernier is 156% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$30.15 CHF 24.61

-64.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$122 CHF 99.8

-64.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$16.00 CHF 13.06

-26.31%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$6.23 CHF 5.08

-39.17%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$6.04 CHF 4.93

-78.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$6.08 CHF 4.96

-86.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$9.32 CHF 7.61

-66.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$9.96 CHF 8.13

-50.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.27 CHF 1.85

-37.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.06 CHF 2.50

-28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.26 CHF 2.66

-54.91%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$7.96 CHF 6.50

-68.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$24.73 CHF 20.19

-70.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$28.64 CHF 23.38

-72.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$39.27 CHF 32.06

-67.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.61 CHF 2.95

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$1.68 CHF 1.38

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.77 CHF 2.26

-10.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.65 CHF 3.80

-56.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.60 CHF 1.30

26.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.10 CHF 1.71

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.24 CHF 1.83

-49.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.30 CHF 1.06

-4.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.03 CHF 9.01

-61.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$12.22 CHF 9.98

-19.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.22 CHF 1.81

-28.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$2.97 CHF 2.42

-7.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$4.26 CHF 3.48

-88.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$112 CHF 91.3

-75.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$7.81 CHF 6.38

-39.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$3.86 CHF 3.15

-15.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$64.6 CHF 52.7

-91.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.40 CHF 1.96

-36.25%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

-45.21%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$40.2K CHF 32.8K

-42.16%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$277 CHF 226

-69.90%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$28.08 CHF 22.93

-17.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$56.6 CHF 46.21

-51.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$79.2 CHF 64.7

-28.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$43.69 CHF 35.67

-35.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$24.66 CHF 20.14

-79.72%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$2,508 CHF 2,048

-91.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$35.6K CHF 29.1K

-85.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$135 CHF 110

-67.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$61.9 CHF 50.5

-31.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$160 CHF 131

-54.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$191 CHF 156

-53.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,734 CHF 1,415

-42.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,524 CHF 1,244

-74.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,898 CHF 2,366

-42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,401 CHF 1,960

-54.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

-76.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$10.9K CHF 8,897

-43.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.98

478.28%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vernier: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Vernier

$1.5K 44% 299% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Vernier

$571 16.5% 122% $313

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Vernier

$479 13.8% 139% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Vernier

$362 10.4% 170% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Vernier

$247 7.1% 122% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Vernier

$129 3.7% 93.5% $62

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Vernier

$156 4.5% 209% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,734 in Vernier. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $122 in Vernier. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $571 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Vernier

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

34,477

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Vernier 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Vernier

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 Vernier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vernier is pricier by about 188%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,201 in Vernier. 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 $995 there versus $1,734 in Vernier.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,467 in Vernier. That makes Playa del Carmen about 65% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 75% 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 $1,202, than in Vernier at $3,467. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vernier 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.

For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 65% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.