Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sandnes

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,684 in Sandnes, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Sandnes
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Sandnes Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sandnes

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,684 in Sandnes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sandnes $2,684

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,176 in Sandnes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Sandnes $4,176

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,667 in Sandnes, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Sandnes $5,667

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Sandnes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Sandnes is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$24.80 NOK 233

-56.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$97.5 NOK 918

-54.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$15.49 NOK 146

-24.08%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.71 NOK 53.7

-35.55%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$3.41 NOK 32.10

-60.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$3.07 NOK 28.85

-73.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$13.93 NOK 131

-78.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$10.58 NOK 99.6

-53.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.44 NOK 22.94

-39.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.37 NOK 31.76

-34.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$2.53 NOK 23.82

-41.50%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.80 NOK 45.17

-48.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$13.22 NOK 124

-43.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$15.83 NOK 149

-49.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$31.80 NOK 299

-60.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.52 NOK 33.10

-21.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.84 NOK 26.77

-49.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.17 NOK 29.86

-17.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.92 NOK 46.32

-56.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.61 NOK 24.57

-22.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.32 NOK 21.80

-14.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.88 NOK 27.14

-60.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.37 NOK 22.29

-49.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$16.64 NOK 157

-74.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$17.08 NOK 161

-41.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.20 NOK 30.12

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$4.23 NOK 39.83

-37.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.70 NOK 44.29

-88.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$85.4 NOK 803

-67.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$6.43 NOK 60.6

-23.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.80 NOK 16.92

90.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$48.81 NOK 460

-88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.23 NOK 21.00

-34.98%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$43.2K NOK 406.7K

-51.03%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$39.0K NOK 366.7K

-40.91%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$266 NOK 2,499

-67.85%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$34.10 NOK 321

-31.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$79.3 NOK 746

-64.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$45.56 NOK 429

36.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$53.4 NOK 503

-46.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$19.40 NOK 183

-73.71%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$292 NOK 2,748

-31.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$9,662 NOK 91.0K

-59.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$127 NOK 1,200

-65.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$60.8 NOK 572

-31.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$122 NOK 1,147

-40.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$189 NOK 1,782

-52.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,333 NOK 12.6K

-26.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$962 NOK 9,056

-61.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$2,000 NOK 18.8K

-15.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,820 NOK 17.1K

-39.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$7,005 NOK 65.9K

-43.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$4,050 NOK 38.1K

51.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$3,781 NOK 35.6K

-80.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

5.22

119.35%

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 Sandnes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Sandnes

$962 35.8% 158% $589

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Sandnes

$485 18.1% 87.6% $226

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Sandnes

$430 16% 115% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sandnes

$379 14.1% 176% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sandnes

$225 8.4% 101% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Sandnes

$84 3.1% 16.5% $12

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Sandnes

$120 4.5% 131% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,333 in Sandnes. 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 413% higher in Sandnes, 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 $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $98.0 in Sandnes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $485 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Sandnes

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

16:18 4:18 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

83,958

💱 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 Sandnes 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sandnes

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 Sandnes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sandnes is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,026 in Sandnes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,684 in Sandnes. That's a gap of about 123%.

Public transport costs about 210% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Sandnes at $2,684. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sandnes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sandnes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.