Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,721 in Karmøy, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
131

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
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Karmøy Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,721 in Karmøy.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Karmøy $2,721

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,116 in Karmøy.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Karmøy $4,116

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,962 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,510 in Karmøy.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Karmøy $5,510

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 56% less than in Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Karmøy is 101% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$200

$21.58 NOK 203

-50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$819

$108 NOK 1,010

-59.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$220

$16.18 NOK 152

-27.13%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.8

$5.40 NOK 50.7

-29.81%

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

$1.30 MX$24.26

$4.29 NOK 40.33

-69.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.59

$3.25 NOK 30.51

-74.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.9

$12.04 NOK 113

-73.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.3

$10.56 NOK 99.2

-53.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.35

$2.57 NOK 24.19

-45.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$41.07

$3.66 NOK 34.39

-39.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$3.96 NOK 37.23

-62.88%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.70

$5.05 NOK 47.42

-50.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$13.40 NOK 126

-45.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$149

$16.11 NOK 151

-50.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$241

$31.83 NOK 299

-59.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$54.2

$3.42 NOK 32.14

-15.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.87

$2.67 NOK 25.13

-48.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.59

$3.60 NOK 33.84

-30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.97

$5.05 NOK 47.42

-59.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$2.57 NOK 24.13

-21.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$2.97 NOK 27.92

-36.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.41

$3.07 NOK 28.86

-62.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.17

$2.42 NOK 22.79

-48.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.9

$17.96 NOK 169

-76.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$184

$16.70 NOK 157

-41.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.66

$3.46 NOK 32.50

-54.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.3

$4.31 NOK 40.52

-36.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.63

$4.68 NOK 44.02

-89.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

$86.0 NOK 809

-68.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$89.1

$12.26 NOK 115

-61.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.8

$1.83 NOK 17.21

77.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

$72.7 NOK 683

-92.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.58

$2.41 NOK 22.62

-36.51%

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

$21.2K MX$396.8K

$49.9K NOK 468.8K

-57.47%

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

$23.3K MX$435.1K

$44.5K NOK 418.2K

-47.71%

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

$83.5 MX$1,562

$277 NOK 2,601

-69.83%

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

$23.19 MX$434

$33.72 NOK 317

-31.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$516

$55.9 NOK 525

-50.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,056

$49.75 NOK 468

13.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$527

$37.27 NOK 350

-24.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.5

$17.37 NOK 163

-71.21%

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

$207 MX$3,873

$241 NOK 2,267

-14.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.8K

$13.2K NOK 124.4K

-60.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$813

$103 NOK 965

-57.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$796

$57.5 NOK 540

-26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,361

$130 NOK 1,219

-43.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,653

$163 NOK 1,530

-45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.6K

$1,262 NOK 11.9K

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,152

$1,041 NOK 9,789

-63.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.3K

$2,042 NOK 19.2K

-18.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.2K

$1,709 NOK 16.1K

-36.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.1K

$6,491 NOK 61.0K

-39.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.8K

$4,250 NOK 39.9K

44.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.6K

$4,008 NOK 37.7K

-79.23%

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 Karmøy: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Karmøy

$1K 38.3% 172% $659

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Karmøy

$502 18.4% 94.9% $244

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Karmøy

$397 14.6% 98.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Karmøy

$366 13.5% 173% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Karmøy

$204 7.5% 83.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Karmøy

$84 3.1% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Karmøy

$126 4.6% 150% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $995 in Playa del Carmen and $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karmøy pays about 4.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $44 in Playa del Carmen vs $107 in Karmøy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $257 vs $502 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

17:49 5:49 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

43,404

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 NOK = 10.64 USD

100 NOK = 9.47 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.4 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.56 NOK (100 NOK = 9.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Karmøy 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Karmøy

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $2,721 in Karmøy, so Playa del Carmen is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,262 in Karmøy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Playa del Carmen runs roughly 68% less than in Karmøy. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $241 in Karmøy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,721 in Karmøy, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Karmøy. 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 56% less than in Karmøy. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.