Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Brussels $2,594
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Brussels $3,876
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Brussels $5,157
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Brussels is roughly 114% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brussels is 92% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$10.76 MX$199

105.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$43.03 MX$795

108.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$11.79 MX$218

27.82%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$3.87 MX$71.4

16.02%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$1.37 MX$25.29

167.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$0.84 MX$15.44

275.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.10 MX$57.3

82.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.07 MX$93.6

11.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.44 MX$26.55

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.23 MX$41.23

24.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.47 MX$27.17

89.12%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$2.53 MX$46.71

106.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$7.30 MX$135

138.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$7.86 MX$145

69.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$12.79 MX$236

71.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.90 MX$53.6

4.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.44 MX$26.53

68.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.55 MX$47.07

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.06 MX$38.03

97.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.00 MX$36.97

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$2.01 MX$37.07

11.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.19 MX$22.02

54.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.26 MX$23.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$4.40 MX$81.4

201.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$9.59 MX$177

0.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.59 MX$29.41

63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.81 MX$51.9

11.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$0.57 MX$10.47

394.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$27.82 MX$514

121.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$4.98 MX$92.1

-41.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.50 MX$64.6

-36.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$5.40 MX$99.8

649.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.47 MX$27.08

40.14%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

71.49%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

38.99%

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

$283 €252

$84.2 MX$1,556

236.49%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$23.99 MX$443

-8.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$29.02 MX$536

78.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$63.0 MX$1,164

-47.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$29.14 MX$539

-5.42%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$4.94 MX$91.3

230.57%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$204 MX$3,763

670.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

830.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$43.60 MX$806

136.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$43.12 MX$797

5.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$75.8 MX$1,400

44.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$88.6 MX$1,637

64.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$1,008 MX$18.6K

30.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$374 MX$6,911

212.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$1,708 MX$31.6K

44.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,106 MX$20.4K

78.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$3,944 MX$72.9K

29.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-37.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$754 MX$13.9K

345.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

11.45

-67.60%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 68% $793

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 34.1% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 61.6% $220

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 41% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 37.9% $69

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 39.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 10.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 345% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

7 h behind Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Brussels Playa del Carmen 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 114% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 345% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Brussels. 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 $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 114% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.