Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gjovik

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,669 in Gjovik, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Gjovik, Norway
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Gjovik
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,669
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,669 in Gjovik, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Gjovik $2,669

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,175 in Gjovik, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Gjovik $3,175

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,682 in Gjovik, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Gjovik $3,682

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Gjovik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Gjovik is 96% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$21.07 NOK 194
-48.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$131 NOK 1,204
-66.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$15.81 NOK 146
-25.49%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$4.26 NOK 39.27
-10.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$3.18 NOK 29.34
-59.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$3.28 NOK 30.21
-76.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$10.51 NOK 96.9
-69.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$8.46 NOK 78.0
-41.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$2.63 NOK 24.27
-46.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$4.22 NOK 38.86
-47.39%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$4.86 NOK 44.81
-70.78%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$6.23 NOK 57.4
-59.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$15.27 NOK 141
-52.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$15.68 NOK 145
-50.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$32.54 NOK 300
-61.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.37 NOK 31.07
-17.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.70 NOK 24.87
-49.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$3.46 NOK 31.93
-26.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$5.93 NOK 54.6
-64.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$2.69 NOK 24.78
-27.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.97 NOK 27.33
-36.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$3.12 NOK 28.71
-63.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$2.55 NOK 23.50
-53.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$18.94 NOK 175
-77.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$16.76 NOK 154
-40.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$3.56 NOK 32.79
-55.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$4.42 NOK 40.70
-39.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$2.98 NOK 27.44
-81.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$12.17 NOK 112
-59.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$1.87 NOK 17.23
78.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$72.1 NOK 664
-92.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$2.44 NOK 22.50
-40.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$50.0K NOK 461.2K
-58.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$46.3K NOK 426.7K
-49.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$286 NOK 2,634
-70.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$34.06 NOK 314
-31.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$55.8 NOK 514
-48.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$42.84 NOK 395
33.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$14.98 NOK 138
-65.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$240 NOK 2,213
-13.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$16.2K NOK 148.9K
-75.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$102 NOK 939
-57.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$62.1 NOK 572
-33.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$137 NOK 1,259
-45.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$160 NOK 1,474
-44.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,693 NOK 15.6K
-42.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$1,089 NOK 10.0K
-65.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,162 NOK 19.9K
-20.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Gjovik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$3,850 NOK 35.5K
-80.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.94
131.78%

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 Gjovik: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Gjovik
$1.1K 186% $708
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Gjovik
$528 107% $274
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Gjovik
$362 79.1% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Gjovik
$376 175% $239
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Gjovik
$207 85.5% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Gjovik
$73 8.1% $5.5
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Gjovik
$33 * 33.7% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,693 in Gjovik. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gjovik are about 5.2 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 $131 in Gjovik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $528 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇴 Gjovik
🕒 Local time
00:07 12:07 AM
06:07 6:07 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
31,007
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Gjovik 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Gjovik

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 Gjovik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Gjovik compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $2,669 in Gjovik – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Gjovik?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,003 in Gjovik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Gjovik?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,693 in Gjovik.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Gjovik?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,669 in Gjovik. That makes Playa del Carmen about 55% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Playa del Carmen and Gjovik?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $240 in Gjovik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Gjovik at $2,669. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gjovik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Playa del Carmen or Gjovik?
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.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Gjovik?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gjovik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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