Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bissen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,422 in Bissen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Bissen despite lower rent and utilities.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Bissen, Luxembourg
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Bissen
🇱🇺 Luxembourg
$1,422
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bissen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,422 in Bissen, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Bissen $1,422

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,310 in Bissen, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Bissen $2,310

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,198 in Bissen, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Bissen $3,198

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper than Bissen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Bissen is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$27.58 €24.61
-60.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$813
$101 €89.8
-56.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$14.63 €13.05
-19.48%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.4
$4.59 €4.09
-16.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.03
$2.19 €1.96
-41.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.67
$2.21 €1.97
-64.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.3
$7.92 €7.07
-59.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.5
$6.69 €5.97
-26.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.35
$1.70 €1.52
-17.06%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.54
$2.62 €2.34
-15.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.56
$3.01 €2.68
-52.82%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.27
$4.65 €4.15
-45.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$136
$18.51 €16.52
-60.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$144
$14.69 €13.10
-47.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$238
$25.21 €22.49
-49.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.2
$3.33 €2.98
-16.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.64
$2.21 €1.97
-38.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.80
$3.05 €2.72
-16.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.78
$4.53 €4.04
-53.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.32
$2.53 €2.25
-23.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.34
$2.19 €1.95
-13.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.49
$1.90 €1.70
-39.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.09
$1.04 €0.93
13.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.5
$7.34 €6.55
-41.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$186
$11.04 €9.85
-9.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.67
$2.08 €1.85
-24.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.1
$2.56 €2.28
4.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.37
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$499
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.1
$5.07 €4.53
-1.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.4
$4.01 €3.58
-16.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$100
$56.3 €50.2
-90.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.06
$1.84 €1.64
-21.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$387.3K
$31.0K €27.7K
-33.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$439.7K
$36.9K €32.9K
-36.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,589
$293 €261
-71.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$439
$26.72 €23.84
-12.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$537
$59.2 €52.8
-51.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,069
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$542
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.3
$17.04 €15.21
-69.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,871
$1,375 €1,227
-84.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.6K
$18.0K €16.1K
-78.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$812
$107 €95.7
-59.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$777
$51.5 €45.96
-19.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,390
$110 €98.6
-32.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,672
$132 €118
-32.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$3,368 €3,005
-70.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,136
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$73.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Bissen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,493 €2,224
-70.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
3.54
223.45%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bissen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Bissen
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Bissen
$413 62% $158
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Bissen
$390 92.8% $188
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Bissen
$379 177% $242
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Bissen
$181 61.7% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Bissen
$34 * 49.4% $33
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Bissen
$25 * 50.1% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,368 in Bissen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bissen are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $101 in Bissen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $413 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇱🇺 Bissen
🕒 Local time
12:36 12:36 PM
18:36 6:36 PM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
3,200
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Bissen 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Bissen

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 Bissen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Bissen compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,422 in Bissen – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Bissen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,132 in Bissen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Bissen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $3,368 in Bissen.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Bissen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,422 in Bissen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Bissen?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,375 in Bissen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Where should families live: Playa del Carmen or Bissen?
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.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Bissen?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bissen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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