Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Biasca

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,605 in Biasca, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
173

Cost of Living Index in Biasca
Learn more

Biasca Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Biasca

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Biasca

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Biasca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,605 in Biasca.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Biasca $3,605

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,269 in Biasca.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Biasca $5,269

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,933 in Biasca.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Biasca $6,933

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 67% less than in Biasca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Biasca is 167% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$21.93 CHF 17.97

-51.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$60.0 CHF 49.12

-26.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$12.05 CHF 9.88

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$4.15 CHF 3.40

-8.67%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$6.46 CHF 5.29

-79.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$6.13 CHF 5.03

-86.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$9.66 CHF 7.91

-67.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$7.64 CHF 6.26

-35.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-35.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$4.23 CHF 3.47

-47.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$4.15 CHF 3.40

-64.58%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$7.99 CHF 6.55

-68.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$27.47 CHF 22.51

-73.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$31.67 CHF 25.95

-74.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$42.87 CHF 35.13

-70.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$3.58 CHF 2.93

-18.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$1.98 CHF 1.62

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$2.85 CHF 2.34

-12.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$5.38 CHF 4.41

-62.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.07 CHF 1.70

-2.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$2.44 CHF 2.00

-53.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$1.33 CHF 1.09

-6.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$11.13 CHF 9.12

-61.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$18.33 CHF 15.02

-46.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$3.01 CHF 2.46

-47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$4.08 CHF 3.34

-32.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$4.76 CHF 3.90

-89.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$113 CHF 92.7

-75.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$8.97 CHF 7.35

-46.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$6.08 CHF 4.98

-46.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$36.71 CHF 30.08

-85.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.37 CHF 1.94

-35.44%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$38.7K CHF 31.7K

-45.25%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$39.3K CHF 32.2K

-40.82%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$319 CHF 261

-73.83%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$38.58 CHF 31.61

-39.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$61.6 CHF 50.5

-55.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$74.4 CHF 60.9

-24.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$51.6 CHF 42.27

-45.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$23.55 CHF 19.29

-78.77%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$3,876 CHF 3,176

-94.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$42.6K CHF 34.9K

-87.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$165 CHF 135

-73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$68.0 CHF 55.7

-37.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$153 CHF 125

-52.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$279 CHF 228

-68.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,987 CHF 1,628

-49.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$1,572 CHF 1,288

-75.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$3,148 CHF 2,580

-46.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$2,601 CHF 2,131

-58.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$14.6K CHF 12.0K

-73.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$10.1K CHF 8,256

-39.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

1.9

502.63%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Biasca: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Biasca

$1.6K 43.6% 311% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Biasca

$646 17.9% 151% $389

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Biasca

$375 10.4% 87.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Biasca

$419 11.6% 212% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Biasca

$299 8.3% 169% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Biasca

$121 3.4% 82.8% $55

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Biasca

$172 4.8% 240% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,987 in Biasca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $60 in Biasca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $646 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Biasca

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

6,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.819 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.919 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Biasca 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Biasca

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $3,605 in Biasca, so Playa del Carmen is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $5,408 in Biasca to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,987 in Biasca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $3,605 in Biasca – Playa del Carmen is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 76% less than in Biasca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,605 in Biasca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Biasca. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Biasca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.