Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brissago and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,504 in Brissago, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brissago, Switzerland
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Brissago
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,504
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Brissago vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Brissago $3,504
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,141 per month in Brissago vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Brissago $5,141
  • Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $6,777 per month in Brissago vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Brissago $6,777
  • Playa del Carmen $3,000

Brissago costs about 191% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brissago sits 159% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.38 CHF 24.29
$10.86 MX$203
170.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$123 CHF 102
$44.21 MX$826
179.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.55 CHF 12.85
$11.76 MX$220
32.23%
Cappuccino
$6.77 CHF 5.60
$3.68 MX$68.8
83.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.33 CHF 5.23
$1.34 MX$25.06
372.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.21 CHF 5.96
$0.82 MX$15.41
779.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.14 CHF 7.56
$3.06 MX$57.2
198.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.99 CHF 6.60
$4.94 MX$92.2
61.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.12 CHF 1.75
$1.47 MX$27.46
44.22%
White Bread (500g)
$3.00 CHF 2.48
$2.22 MX$41.39
35.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.14 CHF 2.59
$1.48 MX$27.62
112.16%
Eggs
$7.88 CHF 6.52
$2.49 MX$46.50
216.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.67 CHF 20.39
$7.52 MX$140
228.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$29.66 CHF 24.52
$7.96 MX$149
272.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$39.72 CHF 32.84
$12.57 MX$235
215.99%
Apples (1kg)
$4.03 CHF 3.33
$2.78 MX$51.9
44.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.00 CHF 1.65
$1.43 MX$26.66
39.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.76 CHF 2.28
$2.62 MX$48.90
5.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.76 CHF 3.93
$2.14 MX$39.92
122.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 CHF 1.37
$2.02 MX$37.79
-17.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.07 CHF 1.71
$1.99 MX$37.14
4.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.30 CHF 1.90
$1.14 MX$21.24
101.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 CHF 1.12
$1.20 MX$22.42
12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.12 CHF 9.19
$4.26 MX$79.6
161.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.14 CHF 10.03
$10.02 MX$187
21.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.19 CHF 1.81
$1.54 MX$28.72
42.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 CHF 2.47
$2.66 MX$49.71
12.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.69 CHF 3.88
$0.53 MX$9.84
784.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$92.5 CHF 76.5
$27.51 MX$514
236.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$8.06 CHF 6.67
$4.90 MX$91.6
64.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.57 CHF 3.78
$3.43 MX$64.2
33.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$108 CHF 88.9
$5.38 MX$100
1898.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.29 CHF 1.89
$1.45 MX$27.05
57.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.6K CHF 32.7K
$21.2K MX$395.3K
87.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.2K CHF 32.4K
$23.0K MX$430.0K
70.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$279 CHF 231
$85.4 MX$1,595
227.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.26 CHF 23.36
$23.46 MX$438
20.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.1 CHF 46.39
$28.43 MX$531
97.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.8 CHF 65.9
$62.2 MX$1,162
28.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$42.62 CHF 35.23
$28.68 MX$536
48.61%
Cinema Ticket
$24.22 CHF 20.02
$5.10 MX$95.4
374.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,145 CHF 2,600
$201 MX$3,756
1464.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.8K CHF 25.5K
$3,947 MX$73.7K
680.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$141 CHF 117
$44.39 MX$829
217.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.7 CHF 51.0
$41.35 MX$773
49.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$154 CHF 128
$72.7 MX$1,359
112.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$197 CHF 163
$89.6 MX$1,674
119.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,807 CHF 1,494
$979 MX$18.3K
84.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,563 CHF 1,292
$373 MX$6,963
319.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,635 CHF 2,178
$1,681 MX$31.4K
56.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,281 CHF 1,886
$1,095 MX$20.5K
108.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.9K CHF 15.6K
$3,949 MX$73.8K
377.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$10.9K CHF 9,040
$6,137 MX$114.6K
78.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brissago
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$738 MX$13.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.46
11.45
-78.52%

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

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 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
Brissago
$1.6K
Playa del Carmen
$373 76.1% $1.2K
Groceries & Markets
Brissago
$579
Playa del Carmen
$258 55.4% $321
Eating Out
Brissago
$479
Playa del Carmen
$200 58.2% $279
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brissago
$364
Playa del Carmen
$137 62.3% $227
Clothing & Footwear
Brissago
$249
Playa del Carmen
$112 55.2% $138
Getting Around
Brissago
$142
Playa del Carmen
$52 63.6% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Brissago
$128
Playa del Carmen
$72 43.5% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,807 in Brissago 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 $123 in Brissago versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $579 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Brissago
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
01:04 1:04 AM
19:04 7:04 PM
6 h behind Brissago
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,800
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.827 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.68 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brissago Playa del Carmen 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brissago
  • 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
Brissago vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Brissago and in Playa del Carmen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,504 in Brissago, $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 191% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Brissago compared to Playa del Carmen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,256 per month in Brissago and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Brissago and Playa del Carmen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $979 there versus $1,807 in Brissago.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 124% more in Brissago, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $123 in Brissago and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Brissago at $3,504. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brissago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Brissago or Playa del Carmen?
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.
Where should expats move: Brissago or Playa del Carmen?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 191% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Brissago vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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