Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Grundarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,713 in Grundarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. The total is higher in Grundarfjordur despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Grundarfjordur
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Grundarfjordur Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Grundarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,713 in Grundarfjordur.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Grundarfjordur $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,918 in Grundarfjordur.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Grundarfjordur $2,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,122 in Grundarfjordur.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Grundarfjordur $4,122

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 30% less than in Grundarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Grundarfjordur is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$30.53 ISK 3,720

-64.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$124 ISK 15.1K

-65.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$27.06 ISK 3,298

-56.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$6.61 ISK 805

-42.36%

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$3.34 ISK 407

-61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$3.03 ISK 370

-74.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$14.17 ISK 1,726

-77.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$12.21 ISK 1,488

-59.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$2.09 ISK 255

-32.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$4.11 ISK 501

-45.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$3.73 ISK 455

-61.93%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$6.93 ISK 845

-63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$21.76 ISK 2,651

-66.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$24.62 ISK 2,999

-68.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$42.23 ISK 5,145

-69.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$3.31 ISK 403

-16.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$2.77 ISK 337

-50.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$3.16 ISK 385

-19.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$6.32 ISK 770

-66.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$4.01 ISK 488

-51.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$1.65 ISK 201

14.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$3.84 ISK 467

-70.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$1.77 ISK 216

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$14.16 ISK 1,725

-69.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$23.44 ISK 2,856

-57.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$3.69 ISK 450

-57.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$3.48 ISK 424

-23.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$6.59 ISK 802

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$2.80 ISK 341

18.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$80.5 ISK 9,808

-93.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$2.10 ISK 256

-31.43%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$68.8K ISK 8.4M

-69.95%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$55.0K ISK 6.7M

-57.37%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$97.0 ISK 11.8K

-12.60%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$32.92 ISK 4,011

-28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$86.2 ISK 10.5K

-66.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$19.36 ISK 2,359

-73.45%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$1,182 ISK 144.0K

-82.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$26.3K ISK 3.2M

-85.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$148 ISK 18.0K

-70.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$66.1 ISK 8,059

-37.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$185 ISK 22.5K

-59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$247 ISK 30.1K

-63.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

$1,098 ISK 133.8K

460.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

8.81

29.97%

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 Grundarfjordur: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Grundarfjordur

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Grundarfjordur

$621 36.3% 144% $367

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Grundarfjordur

$525 30.7% 160% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Grundarfjordur

$216 12.6% 58% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Grundarfjordur

$291 17% 160% $179

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Grundarfjordur

$39 * 2.3% 42.5% $29

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Grundarfjordur

$21 * 1.2% 59.2% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $124 in Grundarfjordur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $621 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇸 Grundarfjordur

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

10:24 10:24 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Grundarfjordur 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Grundarfjordur

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 Grundarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Grundarfjordur. 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 $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $2,570 in Grundarfjordur 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 144% higher in Grundarfjordur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,713 in Grundarfjordur – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,713 in Grundarfjordur, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Grundarfjordur. 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.