Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Drammen

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

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Drammen
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Drammen Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Drammen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Drammen 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 Drammen, rent included.

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

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,119 in Drammen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Drammen $4,119

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,503 in Drammen, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Drammen $5,503

Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper than Drammen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Drammen is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$21.43 NOK 199

-49.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$126 NOK 1,175

-65.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$11.08 NOK 103

6.32%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$5.34 NOK 49.58

-28.65%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$4.10 NOK 38.12

-68.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$2.04 NOK 19.00

-61.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$11.76 NOK 109

-73.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$6.96 NOK 64.7

-29.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.63 NOK 24.41

-46.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$4.37 NOK 40.63

-49.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$4.90 NOK 45.48

-71.02%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$4.85 NOK 45.04

-48.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$14.17 NOK 132

-48.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$15.76 NOK 146

-51.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$31.63 NOK 294

-59.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.37 NOK 31.33

-17.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$2.79 NOK 25.89

-50.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$3.58 NOK 33.28

-28.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$5.85 NOK 54.4

-63.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$2.74 NOK 25.50

-29.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$2.95 NOK 27.38

-35.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$3.11 NOK 28.94

-63.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$2.52 NOK 23.40

-53.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$17.36 NOK 161

-75.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$16.22 NOK 151

-38.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$3.63 NOK 33.74

-56.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$4.35 NOK 40.44

-38.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$3.48 NOK 32.33

-84.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$97.1 NOK 902

-72.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$12.27 NOK 114

-59.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.91 NOK 17.73

74.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$72.4 NOK 673

-92.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$2.34 NOK 21.73

-38.46%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$46.7K NOK 434.2K

-55.79%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$45.3K NOK 420.4K

-48.14%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$273 NOK 2,532

-68.89%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$34.51 NOK 321

-32.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$54.6 NOK 507

-47.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$82.2 NOK 763

-30.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$18.13 NOK 168

-71.65%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$241 NOK 2,238

-14.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$16.2K NOK 150.5K

-75.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$101 NOK 940

-57.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$62.3 NOK 578

-33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$135 NOK 1,254

-45.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$153 NOK 1,419

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$1,363 NOK 12.7K

-28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$1,036 NOK 9,620

-63.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$2,106 NOK 19.6K

-18.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$1,591 NOK 14.8K

-32.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$10.8K NOK 100.5K

-63.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$6,542 NOK 60.8K

-5.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$3,742 NOK 34.8K

-80.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.54

152.20%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Drammen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Drammen

$1K 37.9% 172% $655

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Drammen

$518 19% 104% $264

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Drammen

$366 13.4% 80.9% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Drammen

$362 13.2% 164% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Drammen

$203 7.4% 81.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Drammen

$118 4.3% 75.9% $51

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Drammen

$133 4.9% 163% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,363 in Drammen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Drammen are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $126 in Drammen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $518 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Drammen

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

20:02 8:02 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

104,625

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Drammen 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Drammen

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 Drammen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,736 in Drammen – roughly 127% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,104 in Drammen. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,363 in Drammen.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $241 in Drammen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 103% more in Drammen, 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 Drammen at $2,736. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Drammen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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