Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grundarfjordur and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,713 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index
58

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

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Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,713

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,713 in Grundarfjordur versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Grundarfjordur $1,713
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,918 in Grundarfjordur versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Grundarfjordur $2,918
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,122 in Grundarfjordur versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Grundarfjordur $4,122
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Grundarfjordur is roughly 42% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grundarfjordur is 26% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.53 ISK 3,720

$10.92 MX$204

179.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.1K

$43.37 MX$810

186.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.06 ISK 3,298

$11.78 MX$220

129.71%

Cappuccino

$6.61 ISK 805

$3.81 MX$71.2

73.49%

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

$3.34 ISK 407

$1.28 MX$23.96

160.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ISK 370

$0.78 MX$14.63

288.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.17 ISK 1,726

$3.17 MX$59.2

347.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.21 ISK 1,488

$4.93 MX$92.2

147.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 255

$1.41 MX$26.28

48.23%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 501

$2.22 MX$41.43

85.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 ISK 455

$1.42 MX$26.48

162.68%

Eggs

$6.93 ISK 845

$2.52 MX$47.14

175.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.76 ISK 2,651

$7.26 MX$136

199.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.62 ISK 2,999

$7.70 MX$144

219.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.23 ISK 5,145

$12.69 MX$237

232.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ISK 403

$2.78 MX$52.0

19.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 ISK 337

$1.37 MX$25.56

102.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 ISK 385

$2.55 MX$47.66

23.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.32 ISK 770

$2.12 MX$39.67

198.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 488

$1.94 MX$36.22

106.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ISK 201

$1.89 MX$35.24

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.84 ISK 467

$1.15 MX$21.42

233.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ISK 216

$1.18 MX$22.03

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.16 ISK 1,725

$4.30 MX$80.3

229.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.44 ISK 2,856

$9.95 MX$186

135.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.69 ISK 450

$1.58 MX$29.59

133.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ISK 424

$2.67 MX$49.91

30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 ISK 802

$4.97 MX$92.9

32.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 341

$3.33 MX$62.2

-15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.5 ISK 9,808

$5.36 MX$100

1401.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 256

$1.44 MX$26.98

45.83%

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

$68.8K ISK 8.4M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

232.78%

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

$55.0K ISK 6.7M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

134.57%

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

$97.0 ISK 11.8K

$84.8 MX$1,584

14.41%

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

$32.92 ISK 4,011

$23.41 MX$437

40.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.2 ISK 10.5K

$28.66 MX$535

200.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 ISK 2,359

$5.14 MX$96.0

276.65%

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

$1,182 ISK 144.0K

$207 MX$3,860

472.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.3K ISK 3.2M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

570.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 ISK 18.0K

$43.35 MX$810

241.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 ISK 8,059

$41.44 MX$774

59.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$185 ISK 22.5K

$74.2 MX$1,386

149.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$247 ISK 30.1K

$89.3 MX$1,668

176.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,098 ISK 133.8K

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-82.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.45

-23.06%

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

Last update for Grundarfjordur: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.3%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 59% $367

Eating Out

Grundarfjordur

$525 30.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 61.5% $323

Clothing & Footwear

Grundarfjordur

$291 17%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 61.6% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grundarfjordur

$216 12.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 36.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 73.9% $29

Getting Around

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 145% $30

Accommodation & Living

Grundarfjordur

- * 0%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $124 in Grundarfjordur vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $621 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

04:30 4:30 AM

5 h behind Grundarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

149,923

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grundarfjordur Playa del Carmen 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Grundarfjordur
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Grundarfjordur. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,570 in Grundarfjordur and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 144% higher in Grundarfjordur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,713 per month in Grundarfjordur versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,713 in Grundarfjordur, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Grundarfjordur. 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.