Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Playa del Carmen

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,545 in Besancon versus $1,294 in Playa del Carmen.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,340 in Besancon versus $2,189 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,134 in Besancon versus $3,084 in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Besancon is roughly 19% more expensive than Playa del Carmen, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Besancon is 16% above, Playa del Carmen is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.21

$11.73 MX$202

40.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.0 €43.90

$41.78 MX$719

22.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 €8.52

$10.41 MX$179

-5.00%

Cappuccino

$3.51 €3.02

$3.61 MX$62.1

-2.77%

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

$2.28 €1.96

$1.46 MX$25.06

56.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €0.98

$0.97 MX$16.70

17.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.79 €5.84

$2.92 MX$50.3

132.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 €4.01

$4.62 MX$79.5

0.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.92

$1.43 MX$24.59

-25.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.90 MX$32.70

-10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 €1.66

$1.57 MX$26.95

22.93%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.27

$2.64 MX$45.34

43.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.40 €14.98

$8.44 MX$145

106.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.96 €10.30

$8.58 MX$148

39.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €13.98

$11.00 MX$189

47.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.42

$2.70 MX$46.51

4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.79

$1.51 MX$25.92

37.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 €1.95

$1.91 MX$32.93

18.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.08

$2.17 MX$37.37

11.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €1.95

$1.87 MX$32.25

20.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 €1.96

$2.23 MX$38.43

1.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.29

$1.08 MX$18.60

37.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.70

$1.07 MX$18.47

-24.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.26

$4.16 MX$71.6

242.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 €8.65

$10.29 MX$177

-2.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.18

$1.68 MX$28.95

51.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.48

$2.53 MX$43.59

-32.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 €1.57

$0.55 MX$9.53

230.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.91 €42.98

$26.29 MX$452

89.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 €2.78

$3.20 MX$55.0

0.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 €1.52

$2.46 MX$42.37

-28.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.57 €29.77

$3.20 MX$55.0

980.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.77

$1.32 MX$22.72

56.06%

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

$37.5K €32.3K

$30.2K MX$518.8K

24.44%

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

$39.0K €33.6K

$23.4K MX$402.5K

66.67%

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

$118 €102

$81.4 MX$1,400

45.02%

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

$17.04 €14.67

$22.41 MX$386

-23.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.72 €31.62

$29.97 MX$516

22.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.95 €32.68

$51.6 MX$887

-26.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.83 €24.83

$18.39 MX$316

56.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.30 €8.87

$5.16 MX$88.9

99.61%

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

$344 €296

$202 MX$3,471

70.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,172 €7,037

$5,311 MX$91.4K

53.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 €53.5

$35.61 MX$613

74.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.01 €19.81

$40.37 MX$695

-43.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 €76.3

$78.6 MX$1,353

12.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €121

$86.9 MX$1,495

61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 €475

$950 MX$16.3K

-41.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 €429

$478 MX$8,227

4.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 €872

$1,621 MX$27.9K

-37.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 €737

$1,223 MX$21.0K

-30.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,035 €2,613

$4,009 MX$69.0K

-24.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,495 €2,148

$6,473 MX$111.4K

-61.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,204 €1,898

$673 MX$11.6K

227.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

11.42

-70.67%

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

Last update for Besancon: June 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $552 in Besancon and $950 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Besancon pays 228% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $51.0 in Besancon vs $42.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $254 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Besancon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Besancon pays 228% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $552 in Besancon versus $950 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 90% less than in Besancon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $344 in Besancon versus $202 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,545 in Besancon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Besancon. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,294 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Besancon and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Besancon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.