Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schwechat and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,284 in Schwechat, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Schwechat, Austria
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Schwechat
🇦🇹 Austria
$2,284
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,284 per month in Schwechat vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Schwechat $2,284
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $3,370 per month in Schwechat vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Schwechat $3,370
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,456 per month in Schwechat vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Schwechat $4,456
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Schwechat costs about 90% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Schwechat sits 68% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.94 €16.01
$10.92 MX$205
64.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 €69.7
$43.37 MX$813
80.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.47 €12.01
$11.78 MX$221
14.35%
Cappuccino
$5.10 €4.55
$3.81 MX$71.4
33.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.96 €3.53
$1.28 MX$24.03
209.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 €2.91
$0.78 MX$14.67
317.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.78 €5.16
$3.17 MX$59.3
82.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 €4.74
$4.93 MX$92.5
7.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 €1.40
$1.41 MX$26.35
10.64%
White Bread (500g)
$2.18 €1.95
$2.22 MX$41.54
-1.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 €2.28
$1.42 MX$26.56
79.58%
Eggs
$4.50 €4.02
$2.52 MX$47.27
78.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.45 €19.14
$7.26 MX$136
195.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.43 €12.88
$7.70 MX$144
87.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.76 €20.31
$12.69 MX$238
79.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.82 €2.51
$2.78 MX$52.2
1.44%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.37 MX$25.64
62.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.60 €3.21
$2.55 MX$47.80
41.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.42 €6.62
$2.12 MX$39.78
250.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.94 MX$36.32
12.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 €1.65
$1.89 MX$35.34
-2.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.89 €1.69
$1.15 MX$21.49
64.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 €0.73
$1.18 MX$22.09
-30.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.21 €6.43
$4.30 MX$80.5
67.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.25 €7.36
$9.95 MX$186
-17.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 €1.27
$1.58 MX$29.67
-10.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 €1.67
$2.67 MX$50.1
-29.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.85 €2.54
$0.55 MX$10.37
418.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.1 €54.5
$26.62 MX$499
129.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.93 €4.40
$4.97 MX$93.1
-0.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.09 €1.87
$3.33 MX$62.4
-37.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$44.40 €39.61
$5.36 MX$100
728.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.94 €1.73
$1.44 MX$27.06
34.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K €26.2K
$20.7K MX$387.3K
42.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K €27.8K
$23.5K MX$439.7K
32.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$322 €287
$84.8 MX$1,589
279.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.92 €12.42
$23.41 MX$439
-40.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.93 €29.38
$28.66 MX$537
14.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.19 €35.86
$57.1 MX$1,069
-29.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 €21.86
$28.91 MX$542
-15.25%
Cinema Ticket
$14.95 €13.34
$5.14 MX$96.3
190.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$387 €345
$207 MX$3,871
87.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.8K €24.8K
$3,927 MX$73.6K
608.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 €80.2
$43.35 MX$812
107.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.37 €34.23
$41.44 MX$777
-7.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 €81.1
$74.2 MX$1,390
22.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 €118
$89.3 MX$1,672
48.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 €873
$980 MX$18.4K
-0.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$881 €786
$381 MX$7,136
131.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,619 €1,445
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-5.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,400 €1,249
$1,075 MX$20.1K
30.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,960 €6,210
$3,943 MX$73.9K
76.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,937 €5,297
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-3.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Schwechat
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,345 €4,768
$735 MX$13.8K
627.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.41
11.45
-70.22%

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

Last update for Schwechat: October 26, 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
Schwechat
$881
Playa del Carmen
$381 56.8% $500
Groceries & Markets
Schwechat
$404
Playa del Carmen
$255 37% $150
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Schwechat
$369
Playa del Carmen
$137 62.9% $232
Eating Out
Schwechat
$313
Playa del Carmen
$202 35.4% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Schwechat
$158
Playa del Carmen
$112 29.3% $46
Getting Around
Schwechat
$88
Playa del Carmen
$50 42.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Schwechat
$70
Playa del Carmen
$67 3.9% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Schwechat 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 Schwechat are about 7.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Schwechat versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇹 Schwechat
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
05:27 5:27 AM
23:27 11:27 PM
6 h behind Schwechat
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,351
149,923
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Schwechat Playa del Carmen 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Schwechat
  • 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
Schwechat vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Schwechat?
Yes – Schwechat is pricier by about 90%, 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 $3,425 per month in Schwechat and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Schwechat and Playa del Carmen?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $979 in Schwechat and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
What are total monthly expenses in Schwechat and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,284 in Schwechat and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 47% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 56% 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 Schwechat or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Schwechat at $2,284. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Schwechat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Schwechat or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $2,284 in Schwechat. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
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, Schwechat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Schwechat vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?