Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaduz and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $3,175 in Vaduz, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Vaduz
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Vaduz Living Index
59

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

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Vaduz

🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

$3,175

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,175 per month in Vaduz vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaduz $3,175
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,202 per month in Vaduz vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaduz $5,202
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $7,230 per month in Vaduz vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Vaduz $7,230
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Vaduz costs about 162% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vaduz sits 135% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$35.48 CHF 29.22

$10.76 MX$199

229.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 CHF 121

$43.03 MX$795

240.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.08 CHF 14.89

$11.79 MX$218

53.35%

Cappuccino

$6.34 CHF 5.22

$3.87 MX$71.4

63.82%

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

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$1.37 MX$25.29

212.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 CHF 3.39

$0.84 MX$15.44

390.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$3.10 MX$57.3

130.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 CHF 4.98

$5.07 MX$93.6

19.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$1.44 MX$26.55

93.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.53 CHF 2.91

$2.23 MX$41.23

58.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$1.47 MX$27.17

102.04%

Eggs

$10.54 CHF 8.68

$2.53 MX$46.71

316.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.27 CHF 22.46

$7.30 MX$135

273.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$23.86 CHF 19.65

$7.86 MX$145

203.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$53.6 CHF 44.10

$12.79 MX$236

318.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CHF 2.98

$2.90 MX$53.6

24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$1.44 MX$26.53

168.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 CHF 3.40

$2.55 MX$47.07

61.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 CHF 2.25

$2.06 MX$38.03

32.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$2.00 MX$36.97

39.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.75

$2.01 MX$37.07

5.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.19 MX$22.02

79.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 CHF 1.55

$1.26 MX$23.23

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.69 CHF 10.45

$4.40 MX$81.4

188.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$9.59 MX$177

90.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$1.59 MX$29.41

69.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$2.81 MX$51.9

6.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CHF 2.15

$0.57 MX$10.47

357.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 CHF 100

$27.82 MX$514

337.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 CHF 1.59

$4.98 MX$92.1

-61.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.89 CHF 4.85

$3.50 MX$64.6

68.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$1.47 MX$27.08

59.86%

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

$36.6K CHF 30.1K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

74.21%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

63.01%

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

$239 CHF 197

$84.2 MX$1,556

183.54%

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

$39.54 CHF 32.57

$23.99 MX$443

64.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 CHF 54.3

$29.02 MX$536

127.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.4 CHF 67.1

$63.0 MX$1,164

29.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.30 CHF 15.08

$29.14 MX$539

-37.20%

Cinema Ticket

$24.10 CHF 19.85

$4.94 MX$91.3

387.85%

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

$364 CHF 300

$204 MX$3,763

78.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K CHF 13.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

319.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 113

$43.60 MX$806

215.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.65 CHF 39.25

$43.12 MX$797

10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$170 CHF 140

$75.8 MX$1,400

123.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$88.6 MX$1,637

147.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 CHF 1,102

$1,008 MX$18.6K

32.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 CHF 933

$374 MX$6,911

203.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,876 CHF 2,369

$1,708 MX$31.6K

68.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,361 CHF 1,944

$1,106 MX$20.4K

113.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

320.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,811 CHF 5,609

$6,169 MX$114.0K

10.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,205 CHF 7,582

$754 MX$13.9K

1120.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

11.45

-36.68%

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

Last update for Vaduz: October 12, 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

Vaduz

$1.1K 35.7%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 67% $759

Groceries & Markets

Vaduz

$650 20.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 60.2% $392

Eating Out

Vaduz

$495 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 59.2% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaduz

$344 10.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 60.1% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Vaduz

$258 8.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 56.2% $145

Getting Around

Vaduz

$164 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 67.9% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Vaduz

$130 4.1%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 43.8% $57

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,338 in Vaduz 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 1121% higher in Vaduz, 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 $146 in Vaduz versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $650 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇮 Vaduz

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

7 h behind Vaduz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,800 Capital

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Vaduz Playa del Carmen 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vaduz
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

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

Yes – Vaduz is pricier by about 162%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,762 per month in Vaduz 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 $3,175 in Vaduz and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 162%.

Public transport costs about 338% 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 Vaduz at $3,175. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaduz 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, Vaduz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.