Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Askim and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,938 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Askim
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Askim Living Index
58

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

Jump to prices

Askim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,938

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,938 in Askim versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Askim $2,938
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,407 in Askim versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Askim $4,407
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,876 in Askim versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Askim $5,876
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Askim is roughly 144% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Askim is 116% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.58 NOK 200

$10.92 MX$204

97.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$127 NOK 1,178

$43.37 MX$808

192.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.17 NOK 150

$11.78 MX$220

37.27%

Cappuccino

$6.13 NOK 56.9

$3.81 MX$71.0

60.89%

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

$4.39 NOK 40.81

$1.28 MX$23.90

242.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 NOK 32.50

$0.78 MX$14.59

348.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.75 NOK 109

$3.17 MX$59.0

270.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.12 NOK 122

$4.93 MX$92.0

166.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 NOK 23.29

$1.41 MX$26.22

78.01%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 NOK 39.14

$2.22 MX$41.33

89.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.19

$1.42 MX$26.42

235.21%

Eggs

$6.00 NOK 55.8

$2.52 MX$47.03

138.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 NOK 143

$7.26 MX$135

111.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.88 NOK 148

$7.70 MX$143

106.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.79 NOK 295

$12.69 MX$237

150.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 30.81

$2.78 MX$51.9

19.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 NOK 24.58

$1.37 MX$25.50

93.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 33.82

$2.55 MX$47.55

42.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.05 NOK 56.2

$2.12 MX$39.58

185.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 24.98

$1.94 MX$36.13

38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 NOK 26.85

$1.89 MX$35.16

52.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.32

$1.15 MX$21.37

183.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.20

$1.18 MX$21.98

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.42 NOK 180

$4.30 MX$80.1

351.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.19 NOK 160

$9.95 MX$185

72.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 NOK 32.99

$1.58 MX$29.52

124.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 NOK 41.07

$2.67 MX$49.79

65.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 NOK 45.12

$0.55 MX$10.31

783.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 NOK 808

$26.62 MX$496

226.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 NOK 112

$4.97 MX$92.6

142.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 NOK 17.79

$3.33 MX$62.1

-42.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$72.2 NOK 671

$5.36 MX$99.8

1247.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.28

$1.44 MX$26.92

66.67%

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

$49.0K NOK 455.2K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

137.11%

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

$39.1K NOK 363.7K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

66.84%

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

$437 NOK 4,056

$84.8 MX$1,581

414.88%

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

$33.80 NOK 314

$23.41 MX$436

44.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 NOK 509

$28.66 MX$534

91.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 NOK 466

$57.1 MX$1,063

-12.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.37 NOK 347

$28.91 MX$539

29.26%

Cinema Ticket

$16.12 NOK 150

$5.14 MX$95.8

213.62%

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

$245 NOK 2,275

$207 MX$3,851

18.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 146.1K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

300.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 962

$43.35 MX$808

138.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 NOK 562

$41.44 MX$772

45.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 NOK 1,278

$74.2 MX$1,383

85.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,489

$89.3 MX$1,664

79.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 NOK 11.8K

$980 MX$18.3K

29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 NOK 9,820

$381 MX$7,099

177.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 NOK 19.5K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

22.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 NOK 16.1K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

60.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,481 NOK 60.2K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

64.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,234 NOK 39.3K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-31.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,219 NOK 39.2K

$735 MX$13.7K

474.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

11.45

-56.86%

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

Last update for Askim: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Askim

$1.1K 36%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 64% $676

Groceries & Markets

Askim

$526 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 51.6% $271

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Askim

$525 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 73.9% $388

Eating Out

Askim

$411 14%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 50.8% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Askim

$208 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 46.2% $96

Getting Around

Askim

$128 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Askim

$82 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 18.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,265 in Askim and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Askim pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $127 in Askim vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $526 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Askim

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

6 h behind Askim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,368

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Askim Playa del Carmen 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Askim
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

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

Askim and Playa del Carmen differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($2,938 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Askim is about 5.7 times higher, 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: $1,265 in Askim versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $127 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,938 per month in Askim versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 144% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,938 in Askim, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Askim. 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 59% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.