Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Holmestrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,929 in Holmestrand, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Holmestrand
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Holmestrand Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Holmestrand

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,929 in Holmestrand.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Holmestrand $2,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,385 in Holmestrand.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Holmestrand $4,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,842 in Holmestrand.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Holmestrand $5,842

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 59% less than in Holmestrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Holmestrand is 117% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$21.05 NOK 194

-49.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$126 NOK 1,164

-65.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$16.25 NOK 150

-27.45%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$5.94 NOK 54.8

-36.20%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$4.43 NOK 40.89

-70.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$3.50 NOK 32.25

-76.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$11.62 NOK 107

-72.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$12.85 NOK 119

-61.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.55 NOK 23.51

-44.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$4.39 NOK 40.49

-49.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$4.77 NOK 43.95

-69.18%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.47

$6.13 NOK 56.5

-59.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.35 NOK 142

-52.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$15.81 NOK 146

-49.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$32.66 NOK 301

-60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$3.30 NOK 30.42

-12.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.78 NOK 25.63

-50.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.36

$3.57 NOK 32.94

-30.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.78

$5.89 NOK 54.4

-65.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.69

$2.71 NOK 24.97

-25.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.01 NOK 27.75

-36.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$3.14 NOK 28.95

-63.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.06

$2.42 NOK 22.36

-48.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$19.19 NOK 177

-77.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$16.74 NOK 154

-41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$3.45 NOK 31.80

-53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$4.22 NOK 38.93

-34.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$4.64 NOK 42.78

-89.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

$86.4 NOK 797

-68.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$12.31 NOK 114

-61.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$1.83 NOK 16.86

77.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$72.2 NOK 666

-92.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$2.44 NOK 22.52

-37.30%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$49.2K NOK 453.5K

-56.86%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$45.6K NOK 420.3K

-48.96%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$434 NOK 4,006

-80.78%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$34.21 NOK 316

-32.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$55.8 NOK 515

-50.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$49.34 NOK 455

14.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$36.87 NOK 340

-23.54%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$20.22 NOK 187

-75.27%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$239 NOK 2,202

-13.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.4K

$15.8K NOK 146.0K

-66.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$102 NOK 942

-57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$61.3 NOK 565

-30.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$135 NOK 1,245

-46.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$163 NOK 1,508

-45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$1,238 NOK 11.4K

-19.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$1,049 NOK 9,670

-63.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$2,093 NOK 19.3K

-20.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,694 NOK 15.6K

-36.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$6,497 NOK 59.9K

-39.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$4,262 NOK 39.3K

44.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Holmestrand: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Holmestrand

$1K 35.8% 174% $666

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Holmestrand

$528 18% 105% $271

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Holmestrand

$404 13.8% 102% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Holmestrand

$524 17.9% 291% $390

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Holmestrand

$208 7.1% 86.9% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Holmestrand

$90 3.1% 35.1% $23

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Holmestrand

$126 4.3% 151% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,238 in Holmestrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $126 in Holmestrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $528 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Holmestrand

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

26,932

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 NOK = 10.84 USD

100 NOK = 9.63 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.38 NOK (100 NOK = 9.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Holmestrand 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Holmestrand

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 Holmestrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Holmestrand. 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 $4,393 in Holmestrand 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 $1,238 in Holmestrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $239 in Holmestrand. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Holmestrand. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,929 in Holmestrand, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Holmestrand. 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 59% less than in Holmestrand. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.