Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
Learn more

Skien Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,336 in Skien, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Skien $2,336

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,267 in Skien, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Skien $3,267

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,197 in Skien, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Skien $4,197

Playa del Carmen is about 48% cheaper than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Skien is 73% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$21.21 NOK 200

-49.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$103 NOK 971

-58.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$15.47 NOK 146

-23.79%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$5.11 NOK 48.11

-24.27%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-68.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-71.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$11.89 NOK 112

-73.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$12.33 NOK 116

-58.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-43.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-67.83%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-55.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$13.16 NOK 124

-44.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$15.17 NOK 143

-48.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$21.79 NOK 205

-41.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-13.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-26.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-65.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-27.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-60.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$19.02 NOK 179

-76.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$15.76 NOK 148

-39.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-35.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$3.26 NOK 30.64

-82.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$47.91 NOK 451

-41.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$11.13 NOK 105

-55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$1.81 NOK 17.02

93.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$70.8 NOK 667

-92.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-35.24%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-55.83%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-44.86%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$93.9 NOK 884

-10.28%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$33.89 NOK 319

-29.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$53.6 NOK 504

-45.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$43.10 NOK 406

46.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$15.29 NOK 144

-67.69%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$239 NOK 2,247

-14.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-74.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$63.7 NOK 600

-31.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$60.4 NOK 568

-28.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$87.9 NOK 827

-13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$153 NOK 1,442

-42.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$1,042 NOK 9,811

-3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$975 NOK 9,183

-61.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,035 NOK 9,746

65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$939 NOK 8,841

17.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

16.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

95.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

-82.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.37

162.01%

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 Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Skien

$975 41.8% 161% $601

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Skien

$470 20.1% 81.7% $211

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Skien

$391 16.7% 93.2% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Skien

$181 7.8% 32.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Skien

$164 7% 45.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Skien

$74 3.2% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Skien

$81 3.5% 54.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,042 in Skien. 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 462% higher in Skien, 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 $103 in Skien. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $470 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

17:43 5:43 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

56,769

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Skien 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skien is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,504 in Skien. 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 $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $2,336 in Skien. That's a gap of about 93%.

Public transport costs about 72% 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 $1,210, than in Skien at $2,336. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skien 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, Skien makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.