Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alesund and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,329 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index
59

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

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Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,329

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,329 per month in Alesund vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alesund $2,329
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,663 per month in Alesund vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alesund $3,663
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,997 per month in Alesund vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Alesund $4,997
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Alesund costs about 92% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Alesund sits 72% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 NOK 200

$10.76 MX$199

97.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.8 NOK 836

$43.03 MX$795

106.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 NOK 125

$11.79 MX$218

12.21%

Cappuccino

$4.07 NOK 38.31

$3.87 MX$71.4

5.17%

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

$2.08 NOK 19.55

$1.37 MX$25.29

51.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NOK 22.12

$0.84 MX$15.44

179.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.33 NOK 107

$3.10 MX$57.3

265.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.62 NOK 90.6

$5.07 MX$93.6

89.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 NOK 20.78

$1.44 MX$26.55

53.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 NOK 28.64

$2.23 MX$41.23

36.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 28.99

$1.47 MX$27.17

109.52%

Eggs

$4.38 NOK 41.27

$2.53 MX$46.71

73.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.88 NOK 140

$7.30 MX$135

103.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.80 NOK 130

$7.86 MX$145

75.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 NOK 196

$12.79 MX$236

62.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.72

$2.90 MX$53.6

-9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 NOK 21.34

$1.44 MX$26.53

57.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 NOK 21.28

$2.55 MX$47.07

-11.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 NOK 34.46

$2.06 MX$38.03

77.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$2.00 MX$36.97

22.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 NOK 14.45

$2.01 MX$37.07

-23.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.19

$1.19 MX$22.02

152.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 NOK 17.11

$1.26 MX$23.23

44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.98 NOK 141

$4.40 MX$81.4

240.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.89 NOK 178

$9.59 MX$177

96.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 NOK 32.73

$1.59 MX$29.41

118.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 NOK 36.99

$2.81 MX$51.9

39.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 NOK 47.76

$0.57 MX$10.47

789.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 NOK 822

$27.82 MX$514

213.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.15 NOK 114

$4.98 MX$92.1

143.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 18.03

$3.50 MX$64.6

-45.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 687

$5.40 MX$99.8

1250.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 NOK 20.59

$1.47 MX$27.08

48.98%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.6K

$21.0K MX$387.8K

131.11%

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

$42.8K NOK 402.5K

$23.9K MX$441.8K

78.85%

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

$285 NOK 2,683

$84.2 MX$1,556

238.49%

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

$32.82 NOK 309

$23.99 MX$443

36.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 NOK 557

$29.02 MX$536

104.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 NOK 552

$63.0 MX$1,164

-6.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.12 NOK 293

$29.14 MX$539

6.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.43 NOK 164

$4.94 MX$91.3

252.83%

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

$235 NOK 2,209

$204 MX$3,763

15.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,542 NOK 23.9K

$3,941 MX$72.8K

-35.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 NOK 816

$43.60 MX$806

98.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 NOK 428

$43.12 MX$797

5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 NOK 1,082

$75.8 MX$1,400

51.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NOK 1,312

$88.6 MX$1,637

57.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 NOK 10.3K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 NOK 7,368

$374 MX$6,911

109.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.9K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-32.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 NOK 15.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

46.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,476 NOK 42.1K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

13.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,399 NOK 22.6K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-61.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 NOK 39.8K

$754 MX$13.9K

460.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

11.45

-63.14%

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

Last update for Alesund: 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

Alesund

$783 33.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 52.2% $409

Groceries & Markets

Alesund

$420 18%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 38.4% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alesund

$377 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 63.6% $240

Eating Out

Alesund

$352 15.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 42.6% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Alesund

$174 7.5%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 35% $61

Getting Around

Alesund

$129 5.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 59.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Alesund

$93 4%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 22% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,090 in Alesund versus $1,008 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.

Salaries run about 460% higher in Alesund, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Alesund

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

07:34 7:34 AM

7 h behind Alesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,683

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alesund Playa del Carmen 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alesund
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,329 in Alesund, $1,210 in Playa del Carmen – roughly 92% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,493 per month in Alesund and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Alesund and $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,329 in Alesund and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 92%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Alesund at $2,329. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,210 in Playa del Carmen to $2,329 in Alesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.