Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Åndalsnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,764 in Åndalsnes, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Åndalsnes
Learn more

Åndalsnes Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Åndalsnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Åndalsnes

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Åndalsnes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,764 in Åndalsnes.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Åndalsnes $2,764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,169 in Åndalsnes.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Åndalsnes $4,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,574 in Åndalsnes.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Åndalsnes $5,574

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Åndalsnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Åndalsnes is 104% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$201

$20.96 NOK 194

-49.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$824

$107 NOK 992

-59.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$222

$16.05 NOK 149

-26.54%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$71.2

$5.54 NOK 51.4

-31.59%

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

$1.30 MX$24.41

$5.83 NOK 54.0

-77.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.69

$4.44 NOK 41.18

-81.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$59.2

$13.58 NOK 126

-76.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.9

$13.05 NOK 121

-62.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.51

$2.57 NOK 23.86

-45.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.32

$3.47 NOK 32.20

-36.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.71

$3.77 NOK 34.91

-61.01%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.99

$5.03 NOK 46.66

-50.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$137

$13.41 NOK 124

-45.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$150

$16.57 NOK 154

-52.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$242

$32.74 NOK 304

-60.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.5

$3.93 NOK 36.47

-26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$26.03

$3.04 NOK 28.14

-54.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.88

$3.85 NOK 35.65

-35.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.20

$5.72 NOK 53.1

-64.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.11

$2.85 NOK 26.45

-29.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.82

$3.15 NOK 29.16

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.54

$2.99 NOK 27.70

-61.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.32

$2.28 NOK 21.17

-45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$80.4

$18.04 NOK 167

-76.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$185

$18.88 NOK 175

-48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

$3.53 NOK 32.73

-54.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

$4.73 NOK 43.88

-41.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

$4.59 NOK 42.54

-88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

$86.0 NOK 797

-68.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.6

$9.78 NOK 90.7

-51.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$61.1

$1.64 NOK 15.22

98.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$61.6 NOK 571

-91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.76

$2.46 NOK 22.84

-37.80%

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

$21.2K MX$399.2K

$46.2K NOK 428.0K

-54.05%

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

$23.3K MX$437.8K

$45.9K NOK 425.6K

-49.33%

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

$83.5 MX$1,571

$277 NOK 2,569

-69.88%

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

$23.19 MX$436

$21.70 NOK 201

6.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$520

$82.4 NOK 764

-66.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

$50.2 NOK 465

12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

$37.87 NOK 351

-25.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$94.1

$19.00 NOK 176

-73.68%

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

$207 MX$3,897

$303 NOK 2,805

-31.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$98.4K

$4,535 NOK 42.0K

15.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$818

$111 NOK 1,032

-60.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$801

$52.7 NOK 489

-19.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,369

$122 NOK 1,130

-40.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,663

$159 NOK 1,472

-44.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

$1,240 NOK 11.5K

-19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,197

$1,037 NOK 9,612

-63.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.5K

$2,064 NOK 19.1K

-18.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.3K

$1,711 NOK 15.9K

-36.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

$6,338 NOK 58.8K

-38.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

$4,314 NOK 40.0K

42.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.32

115.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Last update for Åndalsnes: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Åndalsnes

$1K 37.5% 171% $654

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Åndalsnes

$518 18.7% 101% $261

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Åndalsnes

$417 15.1% 108% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Åndalsnes

$381 13.8% 184% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Åndalsnes

$200 7.2% 80% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Åndalsnes

$88 3.2% 32.7% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Åndalsnes

$122 4.4% 143% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,240 in Åndalsnes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $107 in Åndalsnes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $518 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Åndalsnes

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

03:07 3:07 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

2,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 NOK = 10.79 USD

100 NOK = 9.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 9.27 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.37 NOK (100 NOK = 9.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Åndalsnes 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Åndalsnes

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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Åndalsnes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,804 in Playa del Carmen and $4,146 in Åndalsnes to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,240 in Åndalsnes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,764 in Åndalsnes – Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,764 in Åndalsnes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Åndalsnes. 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 56% less than in Åndalsnes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.