Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Oslo $3,538
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Oslo $5,096
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Oslo $6,653
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Oslo is roughly 194% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Oslo is 160% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 202

$10.92 MX$204

99.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,206

$43.37 MX$808

199.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 149

$11.78 MX$220

36.16%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.3

$3.81 MX$71.0

53.28%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.67

$1.28 MX$23.90

242.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.10

$0.78 MX$14.59

329.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$3.17 MX$59.0

267.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 119

$4.93 MX$92.0

159.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.27

$1.41 MX$26.22

85.11%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.73

$2.22 MX$41.33

97.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.68

$1.42 MX$26.42

230.99%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 58.1

$2.52 MX$47.03

148.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 144

$7.26 MX$135

113.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$7.70 MX$143

105.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 300

$12.69 MX$237

154.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.17

$2.78 MX$51.9

20.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.31

$1.37 MX$25.50

98.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$2.55 MX$47.55

43.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.4

$2.12 MX$39.58

181.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.03

$1.94 MX$36.13

38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.48

$1.89 MX$35.16

50.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.30

$1.15 MX$21.37

183.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.22

$1.18 MX$21.98

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$4.30 MX$80.1

346.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$9.95 MX$185

67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.45

$1.58 MX$29.52

127.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.25

$2.67 MX$49.79

58.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.65

$0.55 MX$10.31

812.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 775

$26.62 MX$496

213.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$4.97 MX$92.6

149.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.12

$3.33 MX$62.1

-44.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 658

$5.36 MX$99.8

1221.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.05

$1.44 MX$26.92

72.22%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

$20.7K MX$385.2K

141.46%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

$23.5K MX$437.4K

90.42%

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

$433 NOK 4,027

$84.8 MX$1,581

411.25%

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

$34.50 NOK 321

$23.41 MX$436

47.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 517

$28.66 MX$534

94.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 540

$57.1 MX$1,063

1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 277

$28.91 MX$539

3.04%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 193

$5.14 MX$95.8

304.28%

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

$240 NOK 2,226

$207 MX$3,851

15.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

$3,927 MX$73.2K

311.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 969

$43.35 MX$808

140.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 574

$41.44 MX$772

49.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,253

$74.2 MX$1,383

81.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,487

$89.3 MX$1,664

79.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

$980 MX$18.3K

117.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

$381 MX$7,099

331.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

$1,708 MX$31.8K

91.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

$1,075 MX$20.0K

129.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

$3,943 MX$73.5K

213.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

$6,158 MX$114.8K

21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

$735 MX$13.7K

540.27%

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 Oslo: October 25, 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

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 76.8% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 52% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 73.9% $387

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 50.3% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 46.1% $96

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 59.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 32.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $130 in Oslo vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

13:00 1:00 PM

6 h behind Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oslo Playa del Carmen 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
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

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

Playa del Carmen is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 194% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Oslo is about 6.4 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: $2,133 in Oslo versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,538 per month in Oslo versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen – a 194% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 68% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Playa del Carmen is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Oslo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.