Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Lillestrom

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,615 in Lillestrom, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Lillestrom
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Lillestrom Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Lillestrom

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,615

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,615 in Lillestrom.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Lillestrom $2,615

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,102 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,023 in Lillestrom.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Lillestrom $4,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,000 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,432 in Lillestrom.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Lillestrom $5,432

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 54% less than in Lillestrom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 11% below, Lillestrom is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$20.91 NOK 197

-48.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$121 NOK 1,135

-63.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$11.05 NOK 104

6.43%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$6.17 NOK 58.1

-40.36%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$4.05 NOK 38.09

-66.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$3.12 NOK 29.36

-73.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$11.80 NOK 111

-74.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$10.45 NOK 98.4

-52.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.45 NOK 23.10

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.62 NOK 34.06

-38.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$4.08 NOK 38.37

-63.73%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$5.73 NOK 53.9

-56.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.08 NOK 123

-42.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$13.77 NOK 130

-42.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$27.30 NOK 257

-53.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.46 NOK 32.55

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.81 NOK 26.45

-49.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$4.08 NOK 38.40

-35.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-60.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.75 NOK 25.85

-26.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$3.69 NOK 34.71

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.79 NOK 16.80

-36.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.28 NOK 21.44

-47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$17.49 NOK 165

-75.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.88 NOK 159

-40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$5.57 NOK 52.5

-72.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$5.86 NOK 55.1

-54.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.46 NOK 42.01

-88.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$83.8 NOK 789

-67.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$11.92 NOK 112

-58.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.85 NOK 17.44

85.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$69.1 NOK 650

-92.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.29 NOK 21.53

-36.68%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$48.5K NOK 456.4K

-56.36%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$44.4K NOK 418.1K

-48.18%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$269 NOK 2,532

-68.26%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$32.87 NOK 309

-28.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$52.5 NOK 494

-45.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$49.58 NOK 467

25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$36.47 NOK 343

-21.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$17.09 NOK 161

-70.16%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$238 NOK 2,244

-15.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$13.1K NOK 122.8K

-69.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$101 NOK 955

-56.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$55.8 NOK 525

-25.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$126 NOK 1,186

-42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$158 NOK 1,484

-43.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,245 NOK 11.7K

-21.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$982 NOK 9,242

-62.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,945 NOK 18.3K

-13.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,658 NOK 15.6K

-33.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$6,206 NOK 58.4K

-36.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$4,015 NOK 37.8K

52.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,767 NOK 35.5K

-80.42%

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: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lillestrom: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Lillestrom

$982 37.5% 163% $609

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Lillestrom

$491 18.8% 90.1% $233

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Lillestrom

$383 14.7% 91.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Lillestrom

$354 13.6% 158% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Lillestrom

$198 7.6% 77.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Lillestrom

$84 3.2% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Lillestrom

$123 4.7% 138% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $979 in Playa del Carmen and $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lillestrom pays 411% 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: $44.00 in Playa del Carmen vs $121 in Lillestrom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $491 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Lillestrom

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

94,585

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Lillestrom 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Lillestrom

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 Lillestrom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 117% lower than in Lillestrom. 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 411% lower in Lillestrom. 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: $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,245 in Lillestrom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $201 in Playa del Carmen versus $238 in Lillestrom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Lillestrom. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,615 in Lillestrom, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Lillestrom. 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 $1,204 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 Lillestrom 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 117% less than in Lillestrom. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.