Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
59

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

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,334 per month in Staefa vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Staefa $3,334
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,350 per month in Staefa vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Staefa $5,350
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $7,365 per month in Staefa vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Staefa $7,365
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Staefa costs about 177% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Staefa sits 146% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.82 CHF 27.03

$10.86 MX$201

202.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.3

$44.21 MX$817

172.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.37 CHF 13.49

$11.76 MX$217

39.20%

Cappuccino

$6.22 CHF 5.12

$3.68 MX$68.0

69.02%

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

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$1.34 MX$24.79

338.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CHF 4.12

$0.82 MX$15.24

509.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 CHF 6.80

$3.06 MX$56.6

169.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 CHF 6.93

$4.94 MX$91.2

70.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.47 MX$27.17

51.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$2.22 MX$40.95

55.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 CHF 3.11

$1.48 MX$27.32

154.73%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$2.49 MX$45.99

236.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.91 CHF 22.17

$7.52 MX$139

257.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.91 CHF 21.34

$7.96 MX$147

225.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.2 CHF 45.46

$12.57 MX$232

339.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$2.78 MX$51.3

24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 CHF 2.27

$1.43 MX$26.37

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$2.62 MX$48.37

36.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$2.14 MX$39.49

109.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$2.02 MX$37.38

23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.99 MX$36.74

14.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CHF 2.05

$1.14 MX$21.01

117.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$1.20 MX$22.18

7.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 CHF 8.88

$4.26 MX$78.7

153.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 CHF 11.27

$10.02 MX$185

36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$1.54 MX$28.41

77.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.64

$2.66 MX$49.17

20.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$0.53 MX$9.73

724.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.5

$27.51 MX$508

263.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 CHF 6.10

$4.90 MX$90.6

51.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$3.43 MX$63.5

37.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.0 CHF 71.7

$5.38 MX$99.4

1517.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.45 MX$26.76

61.38%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

87.23%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

71.53%

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

$236 CHF 194

$85.4 MX$1,577

176.45%

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

$31.65 CHF 26.06

$23.46 MX$434

34.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 CHF 46.52

$28.43 MX$525

98.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.0 CHF 65.1

$62.2 MX$1,149

27.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.96 CHF 37.03

$28.68 MX$530

56.76%

Cinema Ticket

$22.08 CHF 18.18

$5.10 MX$94.3

332.94%

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

$2,812 CHF 2,316

$201 MX$3,715

1298.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

968.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 113

$44.39 MX$820

210.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 CHF 49.37

$41.35 MX$764

44.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$72.7 MX$1,344

102.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 141

$89.6 MX$1,656

90.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 CHF 1,302

$979 MX$18.1K

61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CHF 1,138

$373 MX$6,887

270.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,383

$1,681 MX$31.1K

72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 CHF 2,289

$1,095 MX$20.2K

153.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

338.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

128.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

11.45

-84.98%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 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

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 73% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$637 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 59.4% $378

Eating Out

Staefa

$488 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 59% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$324 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 57.7% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$232 7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 51.9% $120

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 65.2% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$123 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 41.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Staefa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Staefa versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $637 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

05:49 5:49 AM

7 h behind Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Staefa
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

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

Yes – Staefa is pricier by about 177%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,002 per month in Staefa 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 $3,334 in Staefa and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 177%.

Public transport costs about 264% 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 Staefa at $3,334. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staefa 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, Staefa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.