Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,850 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
57

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

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,850

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,850 in Longyearbyen versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Longyearbyen $2,850
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,306 in Longyearbyen versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Longyearbyen $4,306
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,761 in Longyearbyen versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Longyearbyen $5,761
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Longyearbyen is roughly 137% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Longyearbyen is 111% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 NOK 191

$10.67 MX$200

92.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 NOK 996

$43.80 MX$823

144.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.57 NOK 173

$11.79 MX$221

57.51%

Cappuccino

$7.17 NOK 66.7

$3.79 MX$71.1

89.18%

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

$6.30 NOK 58.6

$1.30 MX$24.36

384.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 NOK 54.0

$0.83 MX$15.65

598.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.56 NOK 70.4

$3.15 MX$59.1

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.24 NOK 86.0

$4.93 MX$92.7

87.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 NOK 23.54

$1.41 MX$26.46

79.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.83 NOK 35.65

$2.20 MX$41.23

74.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 NOK 41.70

$1.47 MX$27.66

204.76%

Eggs

$5.02 NOK 46.71

$2.50 MX$46.89

100.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 NOK 137

$7.29 MX$137

101.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.74 NOK 193

$7.95 MX$149

160.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.68 NOK 304

$12.86 MX$242

154.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.79 NOK 63.2

$2.90 MX$54.4

134.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 NOK 25.43

$1.38 MX$25.98

97.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.03 NOK 65.4

$2.49 MX$46.78

182.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.87 NOK 63.9

$2.03 MX$38.12

238.42%

Potato (1kg)

$5.60 NOK 52.1

$2.02 MX$38.03

177.23%

Onion (1kg)

$4.76 NOK 44.27

$1.90 MX$35.74

150.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.57 NOK 42.50

$1.14 MX$21.49

300.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.68 NOK 34.23

$1.24 MX$23.27

196.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.05 NOK 168

$4.27 MX$80.2

322.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.96 NOK 139

$9.81 MX$184

52.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.56 NOK 33.10

$1.59 MX$29.78

123.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 NOK 41.19

$2.75 MX$51.6

61.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 44.26

$0.51 MX$9.67

833.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 802

$27.39 MX$514

214.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 NOK 89.1

$4.76 MX$89.4

101.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 NOK 16.98

$3.25 MX$61.0

-43.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.4 NOK 655

$5.39 MX$101

1205.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 NOK 20.63

$1.53 MX$28.70

45.10%

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

$49.8K NOK 463.2K

$21.2K MX$398.4K

134.78%

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

$45.2K NOK 420.5K

$23.3K MX$436.9K

94.32%

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

$275 NOK 2,559

$83.5 MX$1,568

229.58%

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

$33.68 NOK 313

$23.19 MX$435

45.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 NOK 516

$27.61 MX$519

100.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.11 NOK 457

$56.4 MX$1,060

-12.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.07 NOK 354

$28.19 MX$529

35.05%

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 NOK 164

$5.00 MX$93.9

253.60%

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

$244 NOK 2,266

$207 MX$3,889

17.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K NOK 126.1K

$5,231 MX$98.2K

159.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 967

$43.45 MX$816

139.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 NOK 537

$42.54 MX$799

35.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 NOK 1,206

$72.8 MX$1,367

78.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 NOK 1,467

$88.4 MX$1,660

78.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

$995 MX$18.7K

16.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 NOK 9,848

$382 MX$7,181

176.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 NOK 19.5K

$1,674 MX$31.4K

24.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 NOK 15.8K

$1,081 MX$20.3K

57.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,445 NOK 59.9K

$3,909 MX$73.4K

64.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,297 NOK 40.0K

$6,138 MX$115.3K

-29.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,894 NOK 26.9K

$832 MX$15.6K

247.74%

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 Longyearbyen: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1.1K 37.2%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 63.9% $676

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$606 21.3%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 57.5% $348

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$411 14.4%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 51.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$364 12.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 63.1% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$202 7.1%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 45% $91

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$124 4.4%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$84 3%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 21.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,159 in Longyearbyen and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $107 in Longyearbyen vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $606 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:24 10:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

6 h behind Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.57 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.45 NOK (100 NOK = 9.57 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Playa del Carmen 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Longyearbyen is about 3.5 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: $1,159 in Longyearbyen versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 68% less than in Longyearbyen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $244 in Longyearbyen versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,850 in Longyearbyen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Longyearbyen. 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 58% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.