Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biella and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,455 in Biella, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Biella
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Biella Living Index
58

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

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Biella

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,455

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,455 in Biella versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Biella $1,455
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,244 in Biella versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Biella $2,244
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,034 in Biella versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Biella $3,034
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Biella is roughly 21% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Biella is 7% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.68 €14.95

$10.92 MX$205

52.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 €60.2

$43.37 MX$815

54.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 €9.49

$11.78 MX$221

-10.10%

Cappuccino

$1.76 €1.58

$3.81 MX$71.6

-53.81%

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

$2.96 €2.65

$1.28 MX$24.10

131.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.78 MX$14.71

73.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.64

$3.17 MX$59.5

63.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.95

$4.93 MX$92.7

-10.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.41 MX$26.43

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.04

$2.22 MX$41.66

2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.64

$1.42 MX$26.64

107.75%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.32

$2.52 MX$47.41

47.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.90

$7.26 MX$137

98.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 €7.98

$7.70 MX$145

15.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.24 €19.04

$12.69 MX$239

67.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.74

$2.78 MX$52.3

9.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.37 MX$25.71

58.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.55 MX$47.94

-23.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 €4.33

$2.12 MX$39.90

127.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.94 MX$36.43

-4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.89 MX$35.44

-4.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.15 MX$21.55

27.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 €0.32

$1.18 MX$22.16

-70.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.04

$4.30 MX$80.7

56.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.62 €5.94

$9.95 MX$187

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.58 MX$29.76

27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.27

$2.67 MX$50.2

-5.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.90 €1.71

$0.55 MX$10.40

245.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.48

$26.62 MX$500

44.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 €13.12

$4.97 MX$93.4

194.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 €1.49

$3.33 MX$62.6

-50.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.62 €26.54

$5.36 MX$101

452.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.44 MX$27.14

38.19%

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

$36.5K €32.7K

$20.7K MX$388.4K

76.82%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$23.5K MX$441.0K

53.00%

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

$190 €170

$84.8 MX$1,594

124.26%

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

$7.66 €6.86

$23.41 MX$440

-67.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.66 €24.79

$28.66 MX$539

-3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 €59.4

$57.1 MX$1,072

16.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.85 €22.27

$28.91 MX$543

-14.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 €8.15

$5.14 MX$96.6

77.04%

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

$687 €615

$207 MX$3,882

232.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €9,185

$3,927 MX$73.8K

160.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.2 €78.2

$43.35 MX$815

101.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.14 €39.56

$41.44 MX$779

6.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 €73.8

$74.2 MX$1,394

11.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$89.3 MX$1,677

25.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 €371

$980 MX$18.4K

-57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €331

$381 MX$7,157

-2.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 €607

$1,708 MX$32.1K

-60.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €503

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-47.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,598 €1,432

$3,943 MX$74.1K

-59.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$850 €762

$6,158 MX$115.7K

-86.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,819 €1,630

$735 MX$13.8K

147.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

11.45

-68.12%

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

Last update for Biella: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biella

$370 25.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Biella

$321 22.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 20.7% $66

Eating Out

Biella

$238 16.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 15.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biella

$225 15.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 39.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Biella

$146 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 23.7% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Biella

$84 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.3% $17

Getting Around

Biella

$69 4.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 26.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Biella and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biella pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Biella vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Biella

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:09 9:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

6 h behind Biella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,740

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Biella Playa del Carmen 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Biella
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,455 in Biella and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, so Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Biella is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $414 in Biella versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Biella versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Biella. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Biella on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.