Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Moss

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,476 in Moss, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Moss
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,476
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,476 in Moss, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,210
  • Moss $2,476

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,721 in Moss, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,113
  • Moss $3,721

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,966 in Moss, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $3,016
  • Moss $4,966

Playa del Carmen is about 51% cheaper than Moss, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Moss is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.76 MX$199
$21.02 NOK 198
-48.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.03 MX$795
$78.2 NOK 736
-44.94%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$218
$13.46 NOK 127
-12.41%
Cappuccino
$3.87 MX$71.4
$5.11 NOK 48.08
-24.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 MX$25.29
$3.13 NOK 29.45
-56.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 MX$15.44
$2.63 NOK 24.74
-68.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.10 MX$57.3
$6.67 NOK 62.8
-53.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 MX$93.6
$8.29 NOK 78.1
-38.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$26.55
$2.40 NOK 22.58
-40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.23 MX$41.23
$3.56 NOK 33.54
-37.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.17
$3.54 NOK 33.35
-58.47%
Eggs
$2.53 MX$46.71
$3.42 NOK 32.23
-26.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.30 MX$135
$13.38 NOK 126
-45.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.86 MX$145
$12.92 NOK 122
-39.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.79 MX$236
$27.90 NOK 263
-54.16%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.6
$3.38 NOK 31.79
-14.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.53
$2.57 NOK 24.21
-43.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.07
$2.95 NOK 27.81
-13.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$38.03
$5.83 NOK 54.9
-64.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$36.97
$2.30 NOK 21.69
-13.04%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.07
$2.49 NOK 23.47
-19.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 MX$22.02
$2.53 NOK 23.77
-52.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 MX$23.23
$2.35 NOK 22.10
-46.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 MX$81.4
$15.35 NOK 144
-71.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.59 MX$177
$15.77 NOK 148
-39.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.41
$2.64 NOK 24.83
-39.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 MX$51.9
$3.85 NOK 36.27
-27.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.57 MX$10.47
$4.76 NOK 44.85
-88.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.82 MX$514
$86.5 NOK 814
-67.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.98 MX$92.1
$10.43 NOK 98.2
-52.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.50 MX$64.6
$1.88 NOK 17.66
86.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 MX$99.8
$45.81 NOK 431
-88.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.08
$2.30 NOK 21.66
-36.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$387.8K
$42.6K NOK 401.0K
-50.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.8K
$41.2K NOK 387.7K
-41.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.2 MX$1,556
$299 NOK 2,816
-71.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.99 MX$443
$33.40 NOK 314
-28.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.02 MX$536
$54.0 NOK 508
-46.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.0 MX$1,164
$39.52 NOK 372
59.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.14 MX$539
$33.32 NOK 314
-12.55%
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 MX$91.3
$18.14 NOK 171
-72.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 MX$3,763
$235 NOK 2,217
-13.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,941 MX$72.8K
$3,756 NOK 35.4K
4.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.60 MX$806
$97.8 NOK 920
-55.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.12 MX$797
$60.0 NOK 565
-28.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.8 MX$1,400
$104 NOK 979
-27.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 MX$1,637
$142 NOK 1,332
-37.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 MX$18.6K
$1,218 NOK 11.5K
-17.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 MX$6,911
$912 NOK 8,586
-59.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$31.6K
$2,091 NOK 19.7K
-18.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 MX$20.4K
$1,576 NOK 14.8K
-29.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,944 MX$72.9K
$5,125 NOK 48.2K
-23.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,169 MX$114.0K
$4,121 NOK 38.8K
49.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Moss
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$754 MX$13.9K
$4,341 NOK 40.9K
-82.63%
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 10, 2026

Last update for Moss: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$374
Moss
$912 144% $538
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$258
Moss
$452 74.8% $193
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Moss
$343 69.5% $141
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Moss
$387 182% $249
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$113
Moss
$181 60.6% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$73
Moss
$76 4% $2.9
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$53
Moss
$125 139% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,218 in Moss. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 476% higher in Moss, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $78.0 in Moss. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $452 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇴 Moss
🕒 Local time
04:17 4:17 AM
11:17 11:17 AM
7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
52,213
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Moss 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Moss

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 Moss: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Playa del Carmen or Moss?
Moss costs about 105% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Playa del Carmen and in Moss?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,714 in Moss. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Playa del Carmen or Moss?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Playa del Carmen compared to Moss?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $2,476 in Moss. That's a gap of about 105%.
How expensive is transport in Playa del Carmen compared to Moss?
Public transport costs about 211% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Playa del Carmen or in Moss?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Moss at $2,476. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moss it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Playa del Carmen or Moss?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $2,476 in Moss. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Playa del Carmen compared to Moss?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Playa del Carmen or to Moss?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moss makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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