Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Keflavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,992 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
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Keflavik Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,992 in Keflavik.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Keflavik $2,992

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,113 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,538 in Keflavik.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Keflavik $4,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,016 in Playa del Carmen versus $6,084 in Keflavik.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Keflavik $6,084

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 60% less than in Keflavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 10% below, Keflavik is 122% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$24.71 ISK 2,997

-56.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$124 ISK 15.0K

-65.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$20.40 ISK 2,475

-42.21%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$4.06 ISK 493

-4.68%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$3.18 ISK 386

-56.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$3.19 ISK 387

-73.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$8.00 ISK 970

-61.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$8.34 ISK 1,012

-39.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.10 ISK 255

-31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$4.23 ISK 513

-47.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.53 ISK 307

-41.90%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$6.32 ISK 767

-59.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$19.06 ISK 2,311

-61.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$24.38 ISK 2,958

-67.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$41.25 ISK 5,003

-68.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$2.48 ISK 301

16.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.51 ISK 304

-42.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$2.44 ISK 296

4.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$4.01 ISK 486

-48.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$3.20 ISK 388

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$1.70 ISK 206

18.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$3.84 ISK 465

-69.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.78 ISK 215

-29.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$13.97 ISK 1,695

-68.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$16.58 ISK 2,012

-42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.61 ISK 438

-55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$2.94 ISK 356

-4.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.68 ISK 446

-84.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$77.6 ISK 9,407

-64.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$6.63 ISK 804

-24.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$2.58 ISK 312

35.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$80.2 ISK 9,727

-93.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.10 ISK 255

-30.00%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$50.1K ISK 6.1M

-58.15%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$54.7K ISK 6.6M

-56.28%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$94.8 ISK 11.5K

-11.17%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$33.29 ISK 4,038

-27.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-65.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$78.5 ISK 9,526

-19.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$19.48 ISK 2,363

-74.64%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$407 ISK 49.3K

-49.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-84.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$152 ISK 18.4K

-71.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$65.4 ISK 7,934

-34.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$182 ISK 22.0K

-58.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$191 ISK 23.1K

-53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,896 ISK 230.0K

-46.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$1,329 ISK 161.2K

-71.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$2,516 ISK 305.1K

-32.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$2,061 ISK 250.0K

-46.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$3,752 ISK 455.0K

-79.90%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Keflavik: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.4% 255% $955

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Keflavik

$566 18.9% 119% $307

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Keflavik

$390 13% 92.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Keflavik

$213 7.1% 55.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Keflavik

$265 8.9% 135% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Keflavik

$118 3.9% 61.3% $45

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Keflavik

$112 3.7% 113% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen and $1,896 in Keflavik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keflavik pays 397% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $124 in Keflavik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $566 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

01:03 1:03 AM

5 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Keflavik 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Keflavik

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 Keflavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 147% lower than in Keflavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 397% lower in Keflavik. 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: $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,896 in Keflavik. 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 179% less than in Keflavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $204 in Playa del Carmen versus $407 in Keflavik. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,992 in Keflavik, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Keflavik. 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 $1,210 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 Keflavik 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 147% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.