Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rheinfelden and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,992 in Rheinfelden, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. The total is higher in Rheinfelden despite lower rent and utilities.

Rheinfelden, Switzerland
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Rheinfelden
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$1,992
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rheinfelden and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,992 per month in Rheinfelden vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rheinfelden $1,992
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,777 per month in Rheinfelden vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rheinfelden $4,777
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $7,561 per month in Rheinfelden vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Rheinfelden $7,561
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Rheinfelden costs about 66% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Rheinfelden sits 47% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.99 CHF 24.49
$10.67 MX$199
181.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$121 CHF 98.6
$43.80 MX$815
175.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.98 CHF 14.68
$11.79 MX$219
52.50%
Cappuccino
$5.83 CHF 4.76
$3.79 MX$70.5
53.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.40 CHF 4.41
$1.30 MX$24.14
315.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.90 CHF 4.00
$0.83 MX$15.51
490.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.69 CHF 7.10
$3.15 MX$58.6
175.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.85 CHF 5.59
$4.93 MX$91.8
38.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CHF 1.89
$1.41 MX$26.22
64.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.75 CHF 3.06
$2.20 MX$40.86
70.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.49 CHF 3.67
$1.47 MX$27.40
205.44%
Eggs
$7.06 CHF 5.77
$2.50 MX$46.46
182.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.16 CHF 21.35
$7.29 MX$136
258.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.11 CHF 22.13
$7.95 MX$148
241.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.52 CHF 34.71
$12.86 MX$239
230.64%
Apples (1kg)
$3.89 CHF 3.18
$2.90 MX$53.9
34.14%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 CHF 1.72
$1.38 MX$25.74
52.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.96 CHF 2.42
$2.49 MX$46.35
18.88%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.51 CHF 4.50
$2.03 MX$37.77
171.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.56 CHF 1.28
$2.02 MX$37.68
-22.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 CHF 1.58
$1.90 MX$35.42
2.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.23 CHF 1.82
$1.14 MX$21.30
95.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 CHF 0.95
$1.24 MX$23.05
-6.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.41 CHF 9.31
$4.27 MX$79.5
167.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.15 CHF 9.92
$9.81 MX$183
23.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.96 CHF 2.42
$1.59 MX$29.51
86.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 CHF 2.48
$2.75 MX$51.1
10.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.59 CHF 2.93
$0.51 MX$9.58
603.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$125 CHF 102
$27.39 MX$510
354.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.49 CHF 3.66
$4.76 MX$88.6
-5.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 CHF 2.38
$3.25 MX$60.5
-10.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$61.4 CHF 50.1
$5.39 MX$100
1039.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.24 CHF 1.83
$1.53 MX$28.44
46.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.6K CHF 32.4K
$21.2K MX$394.8K
86.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K CHF 32.9K
$23.3K MX$432.9K
73.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$245 CHF 200
$83.5 MX$1,554
193.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$46.21 CHF 37.73
$23.19 MX$431
99.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.7 CHF 52.0
$27.61 MX$514
130.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$108 CHF 88.1
$56.4 MX$1,050
91.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$22.37 CHF 18.27
$5.00 MX$93.1
347.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,042 CHF 2,483
$207 MX$3,854
1368.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.0K CHF 20.4K
$5,231 MX$97.3K
378.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$150 CHF 123
$43.45 MX$809
245.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$81.5 CHF 66.6
$42.54 MX$792
91.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$163 CHF 133
$72.8 MX$1,354
124.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$200 CHF 163
$88.4 MX$1,645
126.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$995 MX$18.5K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$382 MX$7,116
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,219 CHF 1,811
$1,674 MX$31.2K
32.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,988 CHF 2,439
$1,081 MX$20.1K
176.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rheinfelden
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.36
11.45
-79.39%

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

Last update for Rheinfelden: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Rheinfelden
$597
Playa del Carmen
$257 56.9% $339
Eating Out
Rheinfelden
$462
Playa del Carmen
$200 56.7% $262
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rheinfelden
$355
Playa del Carmen
$134 62.2% $221
Clothing & Footwear
Rheinfelden
$268
Playa del Carmen
$111 58.4% $156
Getting Around
Rheinfelden
$158
Playa del Carmen
$50 68.1% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Rheinfelden
$153
Playa del Carmen
$66 56.5% $86
Accommodation & Living
Rheinfelden
- *
Playa del Carmen
$382

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Rheinfelden versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $597 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Rheinfelden
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
09:58 9:58 AM
03:58 3:58 AM
6 h behind Rheinfelden
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,360
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rheinfelden Playa del Carmen 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rheinfelden
  • Playa del Carmen

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
Rheinfelden vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Rheinfelden?
Yes – Rheinfelden is pricier by about 66%, 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 $2,988 per month in Rheinfelden and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Rheinfelden and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,992 in Rheinfelden and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 40% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 78% 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 Rheinfelden or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Rheinfelden at $1,992. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rheinfelden it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Rheinfelden or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,992 in Rheinfelden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Rheinfelden vs other spots: cost of living compared

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