Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Asker

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,736 in Asker, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Asker
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Asker Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Asker

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Asker actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,736 in Asker, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Asker $2,736

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,894 in Asker, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Asker $3,894

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,053 in Asker, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Asker $5,053

Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper than Asker, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Asker is 102% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$20.81 NOK 196

-47.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$62.8 NOK 591

-29.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$12.34 NOK 116

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$6.05 NOK 57.0

-39.17%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$2.82 NOK 26.55

-52.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$1.83 NOK 17.23

-55.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$11.85 NOK 112

-74.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$11.43 NOK 108

-56.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.30 NOK 21.64

-36.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.35 NOK 31.56

-33.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.67 NOK 34.54

-59.67%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$3.47 NOK 32.70

-28.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$3.75 NOK 35.29

100.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$11.70 NOK 110

-31.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$8.54 NOK 80.4

47.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.28 NOK 30.87

-15.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.66 NOK 25.01

-46.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.57 NOK 33.60

-26.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.64 NOK 43.70

-53.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.64 NOK 24.85

-23.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.92 NOK 27.49

-31.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.56 NOK 14.65

-26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.08 NOK 19.55

-42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$18.51 NOK 174

-76.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.73 NOK 158

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.35 NOK 31.52

-54.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$4.15 NOK 39.02

-35.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.65 NOK 43.77

-88.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$80.1 NOK 754

-65.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$11.83 NOK 111

-58.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.80 NOK 16.95

90.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$68.2 NOK 642

-92.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.25 NOK 21.18

-35.56%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$48.9K NOK 460.1K

-56.71%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$43.8K NOK 412.7K

-47.50%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$416 NOK 3,914

-79.47%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$30.73 NOK 289

-23.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$31.58 NOK 297

-9.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$49.84 NOK 469

24.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$36.23 NOK 341

-20.84%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$15.45 NOK 145

-66.99%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$237 NOK 2,231

-15.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$15.5K NOK 146.1K

-74.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$99.8 NOK 940

-55.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$60.0 NOK 565

-31.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$134 NOK 1,260

-45.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$154 NOK 1,452

-41.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,505 NOK 14.2K

-34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$1,126 NOK 10.6K

-66.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,148 NOK 20.2K

-21.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,794 NOK 16.9K

-38.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$6,009 NOK 56.6K

-34.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$4,061 NOK 38.2K

51.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,913 NOK 36.8K

-81.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.87

195.87%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Asker: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Asker

$1.1K 41.1% 202% $753

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Asker

$354 12.9% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Asker

$377 13.8% 88.2% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Asker

$478 17.5% 248% $341

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Asker

$202 7.4% 80.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Asker

$81 3% 11.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Asker

$120 4.4% 131% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,505 in Asker. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 431% higher in Asker, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $63.0 in Asker. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $354 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Asker

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

99,214

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Asker 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Asker

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 Asker: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asker costs about 127% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,104 in Asker. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $201 per month in Playa del Carmen and $237 in Asker. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Asker, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Asker at $2,736. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asker it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $2,736 in Asker. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Asker makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.