Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Njardvik and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $3,133 in Njardvik, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Njardvik, Iceland
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Njardvik
🇮🇸 Iceland
$3,133
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,133 in Njardvik versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Njardvik $3,133
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,864 in Njardvik versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Njardvik $4,864
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,596 in Njardvik versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

  • Njardvik $6,596
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Njardvik is roughly 161% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Njardvik is 132% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.20 ISK 2,940
$10.67 MX$199
126.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$98.4 ISK 12.0K
$43.80 MX$815
124.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.27 ISK 1,977
$11.79 MX$219
38.00%
Cappuccino
$6.46 ISK 784
$3.79 MX$70.5
70.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ISK 195
$1.30 MX$24.14
23.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 ISK 292
$0.83 MX$15.51
190.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.53 ISK 1,280
$3.15 MX$58.6
234.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$12.43 ISK 1,510
$4.93 MX$91.8
152.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.12 ISK 258
$1.41 MX$26.22
50.35%
White Bread (500g)
$4.24 ISK 515
$2.20 MX$40.86
92.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.64 ISK 443
$1.47 MX$27.40
147.62%
Eggs
$7.20 ISK 875
$2.50 MX$46.47
188.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.85 ISK 2,655
$7.29 MX$136
199.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$24.79 ISK 3,012
$7.95 MX$148
211.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$41.37 ISK 5,027
$12.86 MX$239
221.70%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 ISK 413
$2.90 MX$53.9
17.24%
Banana (1kg)
$2.85 ISK 347
$1.38 MX$25.74
106.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 ISK 381
$2.49 MX$46.36
25.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.54 ISK 795
$2.03 MX$37.78
222.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.95 ISK 480
$2.02 MX$37.69
95.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 ISK 205
$1.90 MX$35.42
-11.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.75 ISK 456
$1.14 MX$21.30
228.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.84 ISK 224
$1.24 MX$23.06
48.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.70 ISK 1,665
$4.27 MX$79.5
220.84%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.83 ISK 2,896
$9.81 MX$183
142.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.61 ISK 439
$1.59 MX$29.51
127.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 ISK 407
$2.75 MX$51.1
21.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.51 MX$9.58
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.39 MX$510
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.57 ISK 799
$4.76 MX$88.6
38.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.87 ISK 349
$3.25 MX$60.5
-11.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$81.0 ISK 9,846
$5.39 MX$100
1403.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 ISK 249
$1.53 MX$28.44
33.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$67.8K ISK 8.2M
$21.2K MX$394.8K
219.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$56.3K ISK 6.8M
$23.3K MX$432.9K
141.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.1 ISK 11.7K
$83.5 MX$1,554
15.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.14 ISK 3,905
$23.19 MX$431
38.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$85.4 ISK 10.4K
$27.61 MX$514
209.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$80.6 ISK 9,793
$56.4 MX$1,050
42.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$28.19 MX$525
-
Cinema Ticket
$19.99 ISK 2,429
$5.00 MX$93.1
299.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,198 ISK 145.5K
$207 MX$3,854
478.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.0K ISK 3.2M
$5,231 MX$97.4K
397.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$122 ISK 14.8K
$43.45 MX$809
179.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.7 ISK 8,106
$42.54 MX$792
56.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$183 ISK 22.2K
$72.8 MX$1,354
151.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$247 ISK 30.0K
$88.4 MX$1,645
179.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$995 MX$18.5K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 ISK 177.6K
$382 MX$7,116
282.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,674 ISK 324.9K
$1,081 MX$20.1K
147.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,909 MX$72.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,138 MX$114.2K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Njardvik
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,080 ISK 495.7K
$832 MX$15.5K
390.18%
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 Njardvik: 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
Njardvik
$1.5K
Playa del Carmen
$382 73.8% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Njardvik
$625
Playa del Carmen
$257 58.8% $367
Eating Out
Njardvik
$413
Playa del Carmen
$200 51.6% $213
Clothing & Footwear
Njardvik
$278
Playa del Carmen
$111 60% $167
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Njardvik
$214
Playa del Carmen
$134 37.1% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Njardvik
$121
Playa del Carmen
$66 44.9% $54
Getting Around
Njardvik
$21 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 141% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Njardvik pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $98 in Njardvik vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $625 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇸 Njardvik
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
23:30 11:30 PM
18:30 6:30 PM
5 h behind Njardvik
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,000
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Njardvik Playa del Carmen 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Njardvik
  • 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
Njardvik vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Njardvik?
Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Njardvik or Playa del Carmen?
Average pay in Njardvik is about 4.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do food prices compare in Njardvik and in Playa del Carmen?
Supermarket bills run roughly 143% higher in Njardvik. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Njardvik and in Playa del Carmen?
All in, you’ll spend $3,133 per month in Njardvik versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen – Playa del Carmen is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Njardvik or in Playa del Carmen?
At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,133 in Njardvik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Njardvik. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Njardvik or in Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Njardvik on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Njardvik vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?