Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,568 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,568 in Yens, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Yens $3,568

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,328 in Yens, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Yens $5,328

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $7,088 in Yens, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Yens $7,088

Playa del Carmen is about 66% cheaper than Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Yens is 164% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$29.48 CHF 24.07

-63.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$116 CHF 94.4

-62.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$16.12 CHF 13.16

-26.86%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$6.35 CHF 5.19

-40.31%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$5.07 CHF 4.14

-74.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$4.04 CHF 3.30

-79.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$9.34 CHF 7.63

-66.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$7.91 CHF 6.46

-37.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.26 CHF 1.85

-37.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.06 CHF 2.50

-28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.32 CHF 2.71

-55.72%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$7.55 CHF 6.17

-66.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$24.49 CHF 19.99

-70.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$27.77 CHF 22.67

-71.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$40.09 CHF 32.73

-67.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.63 CHF 2.97

-20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.00 CHF 1.63

-31.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$2.52 CHF 2.06

-1.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$4.74 CHF 3.87

-57.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$1.66 CHF 1.35

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$1.97 CHF 1.61

-3.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-45.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.37 CHF 1.12

-9.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$11.04 CHF 9.01

-61.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$12.38 CHF 10.10

-20.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.23 CHF 1.82

-28.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.05 CHF 2.49

-9.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$3.99 CHF 3.26

-87.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$107 CHF 87.7

-74.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$7.99 CHF 6.52

-40.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$4.69 CHF 3.83

-30.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$85.7 CHF 70.0

-93.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.34 CHF 1.91

-34.62%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-45.67%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-41.75%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$280 CHF 229

-70.19%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$28.64 CHF 23.38

-19.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$53.4 CHF 43.61

-48.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$76.2 CHF 62.2

-25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$47.19 CHF 38.52

-40.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$24.30 CHF 19.84

-79.42%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$2,957 CHF 2,414

-93.00%

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

$143 CHF 117

-69.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$61.4 CHF 50.1

-30.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$141 CHF 115

-48.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$195 CHF 159

-54.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,735 CHF 1,416

-42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,655 CHF 1,351

-76.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,868 CHF 2,342

-41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$2,682 CHF 2,189

-59.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$16.6K CHF 13.6K

-76.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$11.5K CHF 9,368

-46.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.95

487.18%

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 Yens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Yens

$1.7K 46.4% 333% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Yens

$569 16% 121% $312

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Yens

$459 12.9% 129% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Yens

$362 10.2% 170% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Yens

$243 6.8% 119% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Yens

$125 3.5% 87.8% $58

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Yens

$155 4.3% 207% $104

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,735 in Yens. 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 $116 in Yens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $569 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,200

💱 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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Playa del Carmen Yens 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Yens is pricier by about 197%, 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 $5,352 in Yens. 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 $1,735 in Yens.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,568 in Yens. That makes Playa del Carmen about 66% 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 Yens at $3,568. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yens 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 66% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.