Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lillestrom and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,615 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index
59

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

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Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,615 in Lillestrom versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Lillestrom $2,615
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,023 in Lillestrom versus $2,102 in Playa del Carmen.

Lillestrom $4,023
Playa del Carmen $2,102

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,432 in Lillestrom versus $3,000 in Playa del Carmen.

Lillestrom $5,432
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Living in Lillestrom is roughly 117% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lillestrom is 93% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 NOK 197

$10.86 MX$201

92.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 NOK 1,135

$44.21 MX$817

172.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 NOK 104

$11.76 MX$217

-6.04%

Cappuccino

$6.17 NOK 58.1

$3.68 MX$68.0

67.66%

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

$4.05 NOK 38.09

$1.34 MX$24.79

202.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 NOK 29.36

$0.82 MX$15.24

280.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.80 NOK 111

$3.06 MX$56.6

285.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.45 NOK 98.4

$4.94 MX$91.2

111.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.10

$1.47 MX$27.17

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 NOK 34.06

$2.22 MX$40.95

63.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 38.37

$1.48 MX$27.32

175.68%

Eggs

$5.73 NOK 53.9

$2.49 MX$45.99

130.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 NOK 123

$7.52 MX$139

73.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.77 NOK 130

$7.96 MX$147

72.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$27.30 NOK 257

$12.57 MX$232

117.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 NOK 32.55

$2.78 MX$51.3

24.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 NOK 26.45

$1.43 MX$26.37

96.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 NOK 38.40

$2.62 MX$48.37

55.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 NOK 51.3

$2.14 MX$39.49

154.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.85

$2.02 MX$37.38

36.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 NOK 34.71

$1.99 MX$36.74

85.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 NOK 16.80

$1.14 MX$21.01

57.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 NOK 21.44

$1.20 MX$22.18

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.49 NOK 165

$4.26 MX$78.7

310.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.88 NOK 159

$10.02 MX$185

68.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.57 NOK 52.5

$1.54 MX$28.41

261.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 NOK 55.1

$2.66 MX$49.17

120.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.46 NOK 42.01

$0.53 MX$9.73

741.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.8 NOK 789

$27.51 MX$508

204.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$4.90 MX$90.6

143.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.44

$3.43 MX$63.5

-46.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.1 NOK 650

$5.38 MX$99.4

1184.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 NOK 21.53

$1.45 MX$26.76

57.93%

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

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

$21.2K MX$391.0K

129.15%

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

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

$23.0K MX$425.3K

92.96%

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

$269 NOK 2,532

$85.4 MX$1,577

215.09%

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

$32.87 NOK 309

$23.46 MX$434

40.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 NOK 494

$28.43 MX$525

84.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.58 NOK 467

$62.2 MX$1,149

-20.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.47 NOK 343

$28.68 MX$530

27.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 NOK 161

$5.10 MX$94.3

235.10%

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

$238 NOK 2,244

$201 MX$3,715

18.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

$3,947 MX$72.9K

230.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 955

$44.39 MX$820

128.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 NOK 525

$41.35 MX$764

34.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 NOK 1,186

$72.7 MX$1,344

73.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,484

$89.6 MX$1,656

75.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

$979 MX$18.1K

27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 NOK 9,242

$373 MX$6,887

163.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

15.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

51.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

57.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-34.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

$738 MX$13.6K

410.81%

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 Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lillestrom

$982 37.5%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 62% $609

Groceries & Markets

Lillestrom

$491 18.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 47.4% $233

Eating Out

Lillestrom

$383 14.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 47.7% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lillestrom

$354 13.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 61.3% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Lillestrom

$198 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 43.7% $87

Getting Around

Lillestrom

$123 4.7%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 57.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Lillestrom

$84 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 13.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,245 in Lillestrom and $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 411% 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: $121 in Lillestrom vs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $491 vs $258 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

18:31 6:31 PM

7 h behind Lillestrom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,585

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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

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Between locations

Lillestrom Playa del Carmen 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lillestrom
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Lillestrom. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 411% higher in Lillestrom, 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: $1,245 in Lillestrom versus $979 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $238 in Lillestrom versus $201 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 90% higher in Lillestrom. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,615 in Lillestrom, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lillestrom. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lillestrom 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 117% less than in Lillestrom. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.