Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Brissago

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Brissago
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Brissago Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Brissago

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 66% cheaper than Brissago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$202

$29.38 CHF 24.32

-63.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$820

$123 CHF 102

-64.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$218

$15.55 CHF 12.87

-24.37%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.3

$6.77 CHF 5.61

-45.64%

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

$1.34 MX$24.88

$6.33 CHF 5.24

-78.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.30

$7.21 CHF 5.97

-88.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.8

$9.14 CHF 7.57

-66.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.6

$7.99 CHF 6.61

-38.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.27

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-30.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.10

$3.00 CHF 2.48

-26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.43

$3.14 CHF 2.60

-52.87%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$46.17

$7.88 CHF 6.53

-68.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$24.67 CHF 20.42

-69.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$29.66 CHF 24.55

-73.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$233

$39.72 CHF 32.88

-68.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.5

$4.03 CHF 3.34

-31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.47

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-28.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.55

$2.76 CHF 2.28

-5.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.64

$4.76 CHF 3.94

-55.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.52

$1.66 CHF 1.37

21.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.88

$2.07 CHF 1.72

-3.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.09

$2.30 CHF 1.90

-50.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.26

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$79.0

$11.12 CHF 9.20

-61.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$186

$12.14 CHF 10.05

-17.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-29.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.36

$2.99 CHF 2.48

-11.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.77

$4.69 CHF 3.88

-88.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$510

$92.5 CHF 76.6

-70.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$91.0

$8.06 CHF 6.67

-39.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.7

$4.57 CHF 3.79

-24.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.8

$108 CHF 89.0

-95.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.86

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-36.68%

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

$21.2K MX$392.5K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-46.57%

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

$23.0K MX$427.0K

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-41.29%

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

$85.4 MX$1,583

$279 CHF 231

-69.45%

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

$23.46 MX$435

$28.26 CHF 23.39

-16.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$527

$56.1 CHF 46.44

-49.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,154

$79.8 CHF 66.0

-22.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$532

$42.62 CHF 35.27

-32.71%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.7

$24.22 CHF 20.04

-78.94%

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

$201 MX$3,730

$3,145 CHF 2,603

-93.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$73.2K

$30.8K CHF 25.5K

-87.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$823

$141 CHF 117

-68.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$767

$61.7 CHF 51.1

-32.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,349

$154 CHF 128

-52.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,662

$197 CHF 163

-54.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.2K

$1,807 CHF 1,496

-45.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,914

$1,563 CHF 1,293

-76.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.2K

$2,635 CHF 2,181

-36.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.3K

$2,281 CHF 1,888

-52.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.3K

$18.9K CHF 15.6K

-79.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.8K

$10.9K CHF 9,050

-43.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

2.46

365.45%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brissago: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Brissago

$1.6K 44.6% 319% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Brissago

$579 16.5% 124% $321

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Brissago

$479 13.7% 139% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Brissago

$364 10.4% 165% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Brissago

$249 7.1% 123% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Brissago

$128 3.7% 77.1% $56

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Brissago

$142 4.1% 175% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,807 in Brissago. 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 $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $123 in Brissago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $579 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇭 Brissago

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.55 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Brissago 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Brissago

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 Brissago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $3,504 in Brissago – roughly 191% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $5,256 in Brissago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen and $123 in Brissago. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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.

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.

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.