Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,853 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $31,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Hafnarfjordur
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Hafnarfjordur Living Index
58

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

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Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,853

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,853 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $3,853
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $5,410 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $5,410
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $6,967 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $6,967
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Hafnarfjordur costs about 220% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hafnarfjordur sits 183% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.04 ISK 3,768

$10.92 MX$205

184.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 ISK 15.1K

$43.37 MX$815

187.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.40 ISK 1,991

$11.78 MX$221

39.22%

Cappuccino

$6.71 ISK 814

$3.81 MX$71.6

76.12%

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

$3.33 ISK 405

$1.28 MX$24.10

160.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ISK 382

$0.78 MX$14.71

302.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.02 ISK 1,703

$3.17 MX$59.5

342.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.11 ISK 1,470

$4.93 MX$92.7

145.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ISK 203

$1.41 MX$26.43

18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 ISK 511

$2.22 MX$41.66

89.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 ISK 450

$1.42 MX$26.64

161.27%

Eggs

$7.26 ISK 881

$2.52 MX$47.41

188.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.51 ISK 2,611

$7.26 MX$137

196.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.40 ISK 2,962

$7.70 MX$145

216.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.76 ISK 5,070

$12.69 MX$239

229.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ISK 394

$2.78 MX$52.3

16.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 ISK 301

$1.37 MX$25.71

81.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 ISK 388

$2.55 MX$47.94

25.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ISK 779

$2.12 MX$39.90

202.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ISK 477

$1.94 MX$36.43

102.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$1.89 MX$35.44

-13.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 448

$1.15 MX$21.55

220.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ISK 221

$1.18 MX$22.16

54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 ISK 1,705

$4.30 MX$80.7

226.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.05 ISK 2,920

$9.95 MX$187

141.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.58 MX$29.76

123.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ISK 411

$2.67 MX$50.2

26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.10 ISK 620

$0.55 MX$10.40

827.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$26.62 MX$500

219.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.92 ISK 840

$4.97 MX$93.4

39.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 ISK 345

$3.33 MX$62.6

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.8 ISK 9,811

$5.36 MX$101

1407.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.44 MX$27.14

38.89%

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

$68.7K ISK 8.3M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

232.61%

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

$55.8K ISK 6.8M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

137.63%

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

$69.4 ISK 8,419

$84.8 MX$1,594

-18.21%

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

$32.65 ISK 3,964

$23.41 MX$440

39.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$28.66 MX$539

196.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ISK 7,900

$57.1 MX$1,072

14.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$17.08 ISK 2,073

$5.14 MX$96.6

232.30%

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

$1,172 ISK 142.3K

$207 MX$3,882

467.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.9K ISK 3.1M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

558.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ISK 15.1K

$43.35 MX$815

187.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.1 ISK 8,150

$41.44 MX$779

62.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ISK 15.1K

$74.2 MX$1,394

67.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 ISK 29.9K

$89.3 MX$1,677

176.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 ISK 303.1K

$980 MX$18.4K

154.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ISK 251.8K

$381 MX$7,157

444.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,232 ISK 392.3K

$1,708 MX$32.1K

89.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 ISK 324.2K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

148.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,011 ISK 851.1K

$3,943 MX$74.1K

77.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,014 ISK 851.6K

$6,158 MX$115.7K

13.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,674 ISK 567.4K

$735 MX$13.8K

536.32%

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 Hafnarfjordur: 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

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 81.6% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hafnarfjordur

$615 16%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 58.6% $360

Eating Out

Hafnarfjordur

$498 12.9%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 59.4% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Hafnarfjordur

$253 6.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 55.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hafnarfjordur

$187 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26.8% $50

Getting Around

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 60.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,496 in Hafnarfjordur versus $980 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 in Hafnarfjordur are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Hafnarfjordur versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $615 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

5 h behind Hafnarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,525

149,923

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hafnarfjordur Playa del Carmen 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hafnarfjordur
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

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

Hafnarfjordur costs about 220% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,780 per month in Hafnarfjordur and $1,806 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $2,496 in Hafnarfjordur.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,853 in Hafnarfjordur and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 69% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Hafnarfjordur at $3,853. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur 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.

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