Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala, Sweden and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,555 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sala 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 Sala and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,555 per month in Sala vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sala $1,555
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,301 per month in Sala vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sala $2,301
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,046 per month in Sala vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sala $3,046
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Sala costs about 29% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sala sits 14% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 SEK 119

$10.92 MX$205

11.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 SEK 590

$43.37 MX$815

38.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.0

$11.78 MX$221

-16.21%

Cappuccino

$3.04 SEK 29.86

$3.81 MX$71.6

-20.21%

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

$1.74 SEK 17.06

$1.28 MX$24.10

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 21.98

$0.78 MX$14.71

187.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 SEK 70.6

$3.17 MX$59.5

126.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 SEK 71.1

$4.93 MX$92.7

46.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.41 MX$26.43

21.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 SEK 25.27

$2.22 MX$41.66

15.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 SEK 33.63

$1.42 MX$26.64

140.85%

Eggs

$5.26 SEK 51.6

$2.52 MX$47.41

108.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 SEK 111

$7.26 MX$137

55.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.99 SEK 128

$7.70 MX$145

68.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.54 SEK 221

$12.69 MX$239

77.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 SEK 28.45

$2.78 MX$52.3

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.23

$1.37 MX$25.71

94.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.34

$2.55 MX$47.94

5.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.08

$2.12 MX$39.90

116.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.94 MX$36.43

-25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 SEK 11.11

$1.89 MX$35.44

-40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 SEK 24.83

$1.15 MX$21.55

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 SEK 10.15

$1.18 MX$22.16

-12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$4.30 MX$80.7

61.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 SEK 59.1

$9.95 MX$187

-39.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 19.71

$1.58 MX$29.76

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.32

$2.67 MX$50.2

-34.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.98 SEK 29.27

$0.55 MX$10.40

441.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.73 SEK 204

$26.62 MX$500

-22.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 SEK 57.5

$4.97 MX$93.4

17.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 SEK 17.49

$3.33 MX$62.6

-46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 796

$5.36 MX$101

1411.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 SEK 16.71

$1.44 MX$27.14

18.06%

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

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

63.99%

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

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

43.32%

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

$178 SEK 1,743

$84.8 MX$1,594

109.35%

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

$19.84 SEK 195

$23.41 MX$440

-15.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.07 SEK 384

$28.66 MX$539

36.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.69 SEK 449

$57.1 MX$1,072

-19.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 SEK 196

$28.91 MX$543

-30.99%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 SEK 160

$5.14 MX$96.6

217.70%

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

$221 SEK 2,165

$207 MX$3,882

6.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

$3,927 MX$73.8K

-68.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.53 SEK 437

$43.35 MX$815

2.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 SEK 342

$41.44 MX$779

-15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 SEK 515

$74.2 MX$1,394

-29.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.0 SEK 540

$89.3 MX$1,677

-38.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 SEK 7,032

$980 MX$18.4K

-26.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 SEK 5,069

$381 MX$7,157

35.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 9,041

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-46.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 SEK 7,006

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-33.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

1.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-54.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

$735 MX$13.8K

231.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

11.45

-75.55%

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

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$516 33.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 26.2% $135

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$363 23.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 29.8% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 42.1% $100

Eating Out

Sala

$230 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$84 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 32.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 14.1% $11

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 6.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Sala versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sala are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Sala versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

20:07 8:07 PM

6 h behind Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

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).

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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sala Playa del Carmen 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sala is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,333 per month in Sala and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,555 in Sala and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Sala. 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 Sala at $1,555. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sala it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,555 in Sala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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