Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,844 in Bergen versus $1,215 in Playa del Carmen.

Bergen $2,844
Playa del Carmen $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,282 in Bergen versus $2,144 in Playa del Carmen.

Bergen $4,282
Playa del Carmen $2,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,719 in Bergen versus $3,072 in Playa del Carmen.

Bergen $5,719
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Living in Bergen is roughly 134% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bergen is 112% above, Playa del Carmen is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.98 NOK 219

$10.97 MX$201

109.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 NOK 1,292

$44.85 MX$823

201.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 148

$11.92 MX$219

30.20%

Cappuccino

$5.42 NOK 51.8

$3.80 MX$69.9

42.63%

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

$5.10 NOK 48.71

$1.31 MX$24.08

289.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 NOK 42.65

$0.86 MX$15.72

419.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 120

$3.21 MX$59.0

291.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 99.4

$5.01 MX$92.0

107.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NOK 20.57

$1.46 MX$26.77

47.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 NOK 36.13

$2.33 MX$42.72

62.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$1.44 MX$26.48

143.75%

Eggs

$6.41 NOK 61.3

$2.46 MX$45.20

160.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.32 NOK 137

$7.70 MX$141

85.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.21 NOK 164

$7.89 MX$145

118.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 345

$12.80 MX$235

182.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 39.38

$2.92 MX$53.6

41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.95

$1.42 MX$26.11

91.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 34.44

$2.57 MX$47.10

40.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 NOK 51.4

$2.14 MX$39.24

151.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 24.02

$1.95 MX$35.75

29.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.97

$1.94 MX$35.55

72.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 27.34

$1.15 MX$21.13

148.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 NOK 17.03

$1.22 MX$22.42

45.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.10 NOK 163

$4.38 MX$80.3

290.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 NOK 172

$9.85 MX$181

82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 34.31

$1.54 MX$28.23

133.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 NOK 40.20

$2.72 MX$49.86

54.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.15 NOK 49.21

$0.52 MX$9.64

890.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 NOK 825

$27.42 MX$503

215.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 118

$4.91 MX$90.2

152.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.61

$3.52 MX$64.7

-47.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.5 NOK 674

$5.69 MX$104

1139.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.42

$1.54 MX$28.27

52.60%

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

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

128.60%

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

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

76.98%

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

$275 NOK 2,623

$83.6 MX$1,535

228.47%

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

$32.93 NOK 314

$24.03 MX$441

37.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 NOK 791

$29.33 MX$539

182.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 NOK 436

$64.9 MX$1,191

-29.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 NOK 399

$29.46 MX$541

41.79%

Cinema Ticket

$18.87 NOK 180

$5.09 MX$93.4

270.73%

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

$238 NOK 2,272

$208 MX$3,813

14.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

197.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,022

$44.55 MX$818

140.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 NOK 522

$42.06 MX$772

29.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,128

$75.5 MX$1,387

56.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,545

$91.4 MX$1,678

77.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

$986 MX$18.1K

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

$385 MX$7,072

181.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

37.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

53.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

94.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-23.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

$758 MX$13.9K

497.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

11.45

-53.97%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 64.4% $698

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$524 18.6%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 50.3% $264

Eating Out

Bergen

$417 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 51.1% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$390 13.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 64.9% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 7%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 42.6% $85

Getting Around

Bergen

$129 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 59.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$83 3%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 10% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,414 in Bergen and $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays 497% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $135 in Bergen vs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $524 vs $260 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

7 h behind Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Playa del Carmen 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 134% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 497% higher in Bergen, 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: $1,414 in Bergen versus $986 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Bergen versus $208 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,215 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,844 in Bergen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bergen. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bergen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bergen and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 134% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.