Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Molde

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,288 in Molde, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Molde

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,288 in Molde.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Molde $2,288

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,546 in Molde.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Molde $3,546

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $4,803 in Molde.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Molde $4,803

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 47% less than in Molde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Molde is 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$16.79 NOK 155

-34.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$99.2 NOK 915

-56.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$13.43 NOK 124

-12.29%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.01 NOK 36.98

-4.99%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.96 NOK 27.26

-56.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$3.48 NOK 32.03

-77.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$12.98 NOK 120

-75.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$12.03 NOK 111

-59.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$3.00 NOK 27.62

-53.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$4.41 NOK 40.63

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$4.01 NOK 36.94

-64.59%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$5.49 NOK 50.6

-54.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$18.51 NOK 171

-60.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$15.95 NOK 147

-51.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.46 NOK 31.93

-19.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.16 NOK 29.12

-56.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$3.06 NOK 28.20

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.95 NOK 45.65

-57.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$2.62 NOK 24.17

-25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.31 NOK 21.29

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.84 NOK 26.19

-59.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$20.15 NOK 186

-78.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$23.18 NOK 214

-57.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$4.27 NOK 39.32

-63.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$7.88 NOK 72.6

-66.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$5.28 NOK 48.62

-89.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$84.8 NOK 782

-68.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$16.27 NOK 150

-69.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.41 NOK 22.21

-40.25%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

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

$23.41 MX$440

$21.68 NOK 200

7.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$84.8 NOK 782

-66.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$58.8 NOK 542

-3.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$18.72 NOK 173

-72.54%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$217 NOK 1,998

-4.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$113 NOK 1,044

-61.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$138 NOK 1,271

-46.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$160 NOK 1,476

-44.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,276 NOK 11.8K

-23.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,013 NOK 9,335

-62.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,931 NOK 17.8K

-11.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,710 NOK 15.8K

-37.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$4,375 NOK 40.3K

-83.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.8

138.54%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Molde: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Molde

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Molde

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Molde

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Molde

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Molde

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Molde

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Molde

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,276 in Molde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Molde pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $99 in Molde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $428 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Molde

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

11:44 11:44 AM

6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

32,920

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 NOK = 10.85 USD

100 NOK = 9.72 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.22 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.29 NOK (100 NOK = 9.72 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Molde 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Molde

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 Molde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,276 in Molde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $217 in Molde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Molde. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,288 in Molde, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Molde. 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 47% less than in Molde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.