Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skovde and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,791 in Skovde, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Skovde
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Skovde Living Index
59

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

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Skovde

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,791

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,791 per month in Skovde vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Skovde $1,791
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,796 per month in Skovde vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Skovde $2,796
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $3,801 per month in Skovde vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Skovde $3,801
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Skovde costs about 49% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Skovde sits 32% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.15 SEK 130

$10.86 MX$201

21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 SEK 814

$44.21 MX$817

85.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 SEK 102

$11.76 MX$217

-12.84%

Cappuccino

$4.14 SEK 41.06

$3.68 MX$68.0

12.50%

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

$3.04 SEK 30.12

$1.34 MX$24.79

126.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SEK 23.09

$0.82 MX$15.24

184.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 SEK 80.5

$3.06 MX$56.6

165.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 SEK 99.6

$4.94 MX$91.2

103.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 SEK 13.84

$1.47 MX$27.17

-4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 SEK 28.30

$2.22 MX$40.95

28.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.50

$1.48 MX$27.32

210.14%

Eggs

$3.58 SEK 35.49

$2.49 MX$45.99

43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 SEK 99.9

$7.52 MX$139

34.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.86 SEK 127

$7.96 MX$147

61.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 SEK 178

$12.57 MX$232

43.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 SEK 40.94

$2.78 MX$51.3

48.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.48

$1.43 MX$26.37

86.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 SEK 36.23

$2.62 MX$48.37

39.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.17 SEK 51.2

$2.14 MX$39.49

141.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.10

$2.02 MX$37.38

-24.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 SEK 17.44

$1.99 MX$36.74

-11.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 SEK 26.36

$1.14 MX$21.01

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 SEK 13.17

$1.20 MX$22.18

10.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.00 SEK 79.3

$4.26 MX$78.7

87.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 SEK 81.2

$10.02 MX$185

-18.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.95

$1.54 MX$28.41

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 SEK 25.93

$2.66 MX$49.17

-1.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 SEK 35.73

$0.53 MX$9.73

581.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.5 SEK 838

$27.51 MX$508

207.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 SEK 55.0

$4.90 MX$90.6

13.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.76

$3.43 MX$63.5

-62.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.5 SEK 620

$5.38 MX$99.4

1062.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$1.45 MX$26.76

22.07%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

56.39%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.6K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

45.83%

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

$113 SEK 1,122

$85.4 MX$1,577

32.70%

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

$11.00 SEK 109

$23.46 MX$434

-53.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.37 SEK 469

$28.43 MX$525

66.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.41 SEK 381

$62.2 MX$1,149

-38.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.31 SEK 271

$28.68 MX$530

-4.78%

Cinema Ticket

$18.25 SEK 181

$5.10 MX$94.3

257.84%

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

$129 SEK 1,274

$201 MX$3,715

-36.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,654 SEK 46.1K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

17.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 SEK 1,065

$44.39 MX$820

142.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 SEK 305

$41.35 MX$764

-25.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.6 SEK 611

$72.7 MX$1,344

-15.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$205 SEK 2,032

$89.6 MX$1,656

128.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 SEK 7,853

$979 MX$18.1K

-19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 SEK 6,089

$373 MX$6,887

64.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 SEK 13.2K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 SEK 10.0K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-7.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,079 SEK 40.4K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

3.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,821 SEK 28.0K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-54.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,350 SEK 33.2K

$738 MX$13.6K

354.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

-73.80%

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

Last update for Skovde: October 19, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skovde

$615 34.3%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 39.3% $242

Groceries & Markets

Skovde

$369 20.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 30% $111

Eating Out

Skovde

$268 15%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 25.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Skovde

$182 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 38.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skovde

$172 9.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20% $34

Getting Around

Skovde

$111 6.2%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 53.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Skovde

$75 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 3.4% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Skovde versus $979 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 354% higher in Skovde, 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 $82.0 in Skovde versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Skovde

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

06:07 6:07 AM

7 h behind Skovde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,466

149,923

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Skovde Playa del Carmen 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Skovde
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

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

Yes – Skovde is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,687 per month in Skovde 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 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 $1,791 in Skovde and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 207% 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 $1,204, than in Skovde at $1,791. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skovde 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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