Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tumba and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,203 a month against $1,929 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tumba, Sweden
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Tumba
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,929
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,203
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,929 per month in Tumba vs $1,203 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tumba $1,929
  • Playa del Carmen $1,203

A couple spends around $2,940 per month in Tumba vs $2,084 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tumba $2,940
  • Playa del Carmen $2,084

A family of three spends $3,952 per month in Tumba vs $2,965 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Tumba $3,952
  • Playa del Carmen $2,965

Tumba costs about 60% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tumba sits 44% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.27 SEK 140
$10.72 MX$198
33.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.6 SEK 642
$42.71 MX$790
53.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.20 SEK 99.9
$11.86 MX$219
-14.00%
Cappuccino
$4.35 SEK 42.53
$3.80 MX$70.3
14.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 SEK 26.67
$1.29 MX$23.80
110.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 SEK 22.37
$0.82 MX$15.23
179.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.12 SEK 69.7
$3.07 MX$56.8
131.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.31 SEK 71.5
$4.99 MX$92.2
46.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 SEK 17.73
$1.49 MX$27.53
21.48%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 SEK 29.93
$2.26 MX$41.85
35.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.96 SEK 38.72
$1.40 MX$25.83
182.86%
Eggs
$5.31 SEK 51.9
$2.47 MX$45.72
114.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.72 SEK 125
$7.25 MX$134
75.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.25 SEK 130
$8.09 MX$150
63.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.23 SEK 169
$12.87 MX$238
33.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 SEK 31.93
$2.89 MX$53.5
12.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.71 SEK 26.48
$1.44 MX$26.62
88.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 SEK 20.37
$2.61 MX$48.27
-20.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.65 SEK 45.48
$2.13 MX$39.41
118.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 SEK 14.78
$1.99 MX$36.80
-24.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 SEK 17.86
$1.89 MX$35.03
-3.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.35 SEK 22.96
$1.15 MX$21.35
104.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 SEK 18.16
$1.23 MX$22.84
51.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.48 SEK 73.2
$4.45 MX$82.3
68.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.20 SEK 99.9
$9.61 MX$178
6.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 SEK 19.71
$1.60 MX$29.60
25.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 SEK 23.16
$2.68 MX$49.63
-11.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.24 SEK 41.52
$0.57 MX$10.46
643.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$102 SEK 1,003
$26.54 MX$491
286.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.95 SEK 58.3
$4.79 MX$88.6
24.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 SEK 15.14
$3.29 MX$60.9
-52.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$57.0 SEK 558
$5.39 MX$99.7
958.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.78 SEK 17.40
$1.46 MX$27.08
21.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.8K SEK 330.4K
$21.1K MX$390.0K
60.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K SEK 331.8K
$23.4K MX$433.5K
44.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$177 SEK 1,735
$83.9 MX$1,552
111.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.03 SEK 216
$23.11 MX$428
-4.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.48 SEK 465
$28.32 MX$524
67.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.79 SEK 409
$52.7 MX$975
-20.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.65 SEK 261
$30.94 MX$572
-13.87%
Cinema Ticket
$17.50 SEK 171
$4.96 MX$91.8
252.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$154 SEK 1,504
$203 MX$3,761
-24.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,882 SEK 47.8K
$5,245 MX$97.0K
-6.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$115 SEK 1,128
$44.12 MX$816
161.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.0 SEK 528
$41.37 MX$765
30.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.8 SEK 957
$73.8 MX$1,366
32.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$182 SEK 1,784
$90.0 MX$1,665
102.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$804 SEK 7,866
$988 MX$18.3K
-18.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$622 SEK 6,084
$382 MX$7,074
62.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,380 SEK 13.5K
$1,667 MX$30.8K
-17.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,037 SEK 10.2K
$1,085 MX$20.1K
-4.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,114 SEK 40.3K
$3,942 MX$72.9K
4.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,930 SEK 28.7K
$6,102 MX$112.9K
-51.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tumba
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$907 MX$16.8K
-
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 Tumba: November 9, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tumba
$622
Playa del Carmen
$382 38.5% $239
Groceries & Markets
Tumba
$381
Playa del Carmen
$260 31.8% $121
Eating Out
Tumba
$267
Playa del Carmen
$201 24.9% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tumba
$247
Playa del Carmen
$135 45.2% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Tumba
$202
Playa del Carmen
$112 44.5% $90
Getting Around
Tumba
$133
Playa del Carmen
$50 62.4% $83
Sport & Entertainment
Tumba
$77
Playa del Carmen
$63 18.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $804 in Tumba versus $988 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 $66 in Tumba versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Tumba
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
19:45 7:45 PM
13:45 1:45 PM
6 h behind Tumba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
42,344
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.79 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.99 SEK (100 SEK = 9.1 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tumba Playa del Carmen 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tumba
  • 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
Tumba vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Tumba?
Yes – Tumba is pricier by about 60%, 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 $2,893 per month in Tumba and $1,805 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tumba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $804 there versus $988 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Tumba and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,929 in Tumba and $1,203 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 38% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 74% 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 Tumba or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Tumba at $1,929. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tumba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Tumba or in Playa del Carmen?
It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,203 in Playa del Carmen to $1,929 in Tumba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Tumba vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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