Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Holmestrand Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Holmestrand

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,297 in Holmestrand.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,126 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,561 in Holmestrand.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,826 in Holmestrand.

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 45% less than in Holmestrand, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 5% below, Holmestrand is 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 MX$204

$19.11 NOK 181

-37.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.90 MX$736

$99.4 NOK 943

-56.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$183

$13.51 NOK 128

-21.17%

Cappuccino

$3.45 MX$59.2

$4.90 NOK 46.47

-29.59%

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

$1.50 MX$25.81

$2.06 NOK 19.52

-27.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 MX$16.28

$2.07 NOK 19.69

-54.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 MX$51.9

$9.18 NOK 87.1

-66.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 MX$79.1

$9.51 NOK 90.3

-51.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$23.61

$1.59 NOK 15.11

-13.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 MX$31.70

$3.27 NOK 30.99

-43.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 MX$27.65

$2.06 NOK 19.60

-21.84%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.51

$4.01 NOK 38.07

-35.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 MX$142

$10.84 NOK 103

-23.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$144

$13.95 NOK 132

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.66 MX$183

$40.21 NOK 382

-73.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 MX$45.12

$1.98 NOK 18.77

32.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 MX$25.53

$2.33 NOK 22.15

-36.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$32.94

$3.32 NOK 31.51

-42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 MX$35.81

$2.36 NOK 22.41

-11.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 MX$31.88

$0.77 NOK 7.33

141.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$38.81

$1.29 NOK 12.22

75.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 MX$18.23

$3.01 NOK 28.55

-64.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.67

$1.83 NOK 17.33

-40.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 MX$71.2

$14.13 NOK 134

-70.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.39 MX$178

$18.61 NOK 177

-44.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MX$29.59

$3.01 NOK 28.60

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 MX$44.85

$3.92 NOK 37.21

-33.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.30

$4.13 NOK 39.19

-86.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 MX$462

$73.0 NOK 692

-63.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 MX$53.7

$8.90 NOK 84.4

-64.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 MX$43.09

$0.95 NOK 9.01

164.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 MX$54.1

$102 NOK 970

-96.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 MX$21.88

$2.12 NOK 20.12

-40.09%

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

$30.4K MX$521.3K

$38.3K NOK 363.7K

-20.74%

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

$23.6K MX$404.5K

$34.4K NOK 326.1K

-31.40%

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

$83.0 MX$1,425

$216 NOK 2,052

-61.60%

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

$22.71 MX$390

$44.01 NOK 418

-48.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$506

$37.22 NOK 353

-20.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 MX$875

$48.95 NOK 465

4.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.33 MX$315

$34.80 NOK 330

-47.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 MX$84.5

$14.91 NOK 142

-66.93%

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

$197 MX$3,386

$310 NOK 2,941

-36.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,280 MX$90.6K

$10.3K NOK 97.3K

-48.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.90 MX$633

$110 NOK 1,040

-66.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$685

$29.87 NOK 284

33.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 MX$1,373

$98.2 NOK 932

-18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,536

$133 NOK 1,264

-32.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 MX$16.4K

$1,213 NOK 11.5K

-21.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,189

$906 NOK 8,597

-47.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,646 MX$28.3K

$1,846 NOK 17.5K

-10.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 MX$21.0K

$1,527 NOK 14.5K

-19.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,918 MX$67.2K

$6,481 NOK 61.5K

-39.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,459 MX$110.9K

$3,913 NOK 37.1K

65.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 MX$11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

471.00%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: June 7, 2026

Last update for Holmestrand: June 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Playa del Carmen and $1,213 in Holmestrand. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $99.0 in Holmestrand for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $444 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

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 81% 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 $1,906 in Playa del Carmen and $3,445 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: $956 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,213 in Holmestrand. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $197 in Playa del Carmen versus $310 in Holmestrand. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Holmestrand. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,271 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,297 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 work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,271 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Playa del Carmen and Holmestrand are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Holmestrand. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.