Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
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Sion Living Index
59

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

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Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,235 per month in Sion vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sion $3,235
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $4,857 per month in Sion vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sion $4,857
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $6,479 per month in Sion vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sion $6,479
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Sion costs about 167% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sion sits 140% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$10.76 MX$199

169.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$43.03 MX$795

108.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$11.79 MX$218

62.43%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$3.87 MX$71.4

18.86%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$1.37 MX$25.29

271.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$0.84 MX$15.44

409.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$3.10 MX$57.3

137.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$5.07 MX$93.6

43.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.44 MX$26.55

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$2.23 MX$41.23

58.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$1.47 MX$27.17

185.03%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$2.53 MX$46.71

181.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$7.30 MX$135

256.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$7.86 MX$145

188.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$12.79 MX$236

213.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.90 MX$53.6

8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.44 MX$26.53

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$2.55 MX$47.07

-0.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$2.06 MX$38.03

200.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$2.00 MX$36.97

-7.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.01 MX$37.07

7.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.19 MX$22.02

104.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$1.26 MX$23.23

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$4.40 MX$81.4

146.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$9.59 MX$177

48.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$1.59 MX$29.41

10.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.81 MX$51.9

-32.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$0.57 MX$10.47

819.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$27.82 MX$514

544.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$4.98 MX$92.1

19.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$3.50 MX$64.6

51.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$5.40 MX$99.8

791.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.47 MX$27.08

50.34%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

63.17%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

57.39%

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

$308 CHF 254

$84.2 MX$1,556

265.97%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$23.99 MX$443

3.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$29.02 MX$536

71.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$63.0 MX$1,164

114.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$29.14 MX$539

86.99%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$4.94 MX$91.3

310.53%

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

$953 CHF 785

$204 MX$3,763

368.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

856.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$43.60 MX$806

149.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$43.12 MX$797

11.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$75.8 MX$1,400

112.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$88.6 MX$1,637

85.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$1,008 MX$18.6K

21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$374 MX$6,911

231.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$1,708 MX$31.6K

35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$1,106 MX$20.4K

87.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$3,944 MX$72.9K

86.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-10.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$754 MX$13.9K

672.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

11.45

-81.22%

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

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 69.8% $866

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 53.3% $295

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 53.3% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 64.1% $245

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 77.4% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 48% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 58.4% $102

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,221 in Sion versus $1,008 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 run about 672% higher in Sion, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Sion versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $554 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

7 h behind Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

149,923

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Sion Playa del Carmen 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sion
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

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

Yes – Sion is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,853 per month in Sion and $1,816 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,235 in Sion and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 167%.

Public transport costs about 545% 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 $1,210, than in Sion at $3,235. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sion 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.

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