Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Stokmarknes

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,697 in Stokmarknes, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Stokmarknes, Norway
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Stokmarknes
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,697
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,697 in Stokmarknes, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Stokmarknes $2,697

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $4,251 in Stokmarknes, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Stokmarknes $4,251

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,805 in Stokmarknes, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Stokmarknes $5,805

Playa del Carmen is about 55% cheaper than Stokmarknes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Stokmarknes is 98% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$18.66 NOK 172
-41.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$116 NOK 1,070
-62.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$15.65 NOK 144
-24.73%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$6.03 NOK 55.6
-36.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$4.52 NOK 41.70
-71.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$3.03 NOK 27.93
-74.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$12.03 NOK 111
-73.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$11.00 NOK 101
-55.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$2.58 NOK 23.82
-45.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$3.81 NOK 35.12
-41.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$3.97 NOK 36.57
-64.23%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$4.97 NOK 45.82
-49.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$13.54 NOK 125
-46.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$15.98 NOK 147
-51.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$32.13 NOK 296
-60.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$3.39 NOK 31.24
-17.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.67 NOK 24.60
-48.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$3.52 NOK 32.42
-27.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$4.94 NOK 45.52
-57.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$2.67 NOK 24.64
-27.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.97 NOK 27.38
-36.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$3.09 NOK 28.50
-62.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$2.34 NOK 21.56
-49.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$17.81 NOK 164
-75.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$16.83 NOK 155
-40.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$3.50 NOK 32.25
-54.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$4.37 NOK 40.27
-38.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$4.61 NOK 42.46
-88.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$88.8 NOK 818
-70.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$12.30 NOK 113
-59.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$2.12 NOK 19.52
57.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$65.1 NOK 600
-91.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$2.32 NOK 21.35
-37.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$49.9K NOK 459.9K
-58.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$39.8K NOK 367.2K
-41.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$307 NOK 2,826
-72.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$35.47 NOK 327
-34.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$53.4 NOK 492
-46.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$53.2 NOK 490
7.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$40.47 NOK 373
-28.56%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$20.22 NOK 186
-74.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$219 NOK 2,017
-5.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$12.9K NOK 119.2K
-69.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$117 NOK 1,078
-62.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$64.1 NOK 591
-35.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$124 NOK 1,142
-40.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$167 NOK 1,541
-46.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$1,122 NOK 10.3K
-12.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$982 NOK 9,048
-61.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$2,191 NOK 20.2K
-22.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$1,918 NOK 17.7K
-43.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$5,946 NOK 54.8K
-33.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$3,882 NOK 35.8K
58.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Stokmarknes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
-
-
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 25, 2026

Last update for Stokmarknes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Stokmarknes
$982 158% $601
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Stokmarknes
$503 97.3% $248
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Stokmarknes
$381 88.3% $179
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Stokmarknes
$396 189% $259
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Stokmarknes
$212 90.2% $101
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Stokmarknes
$94 39.1% $26
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Stokmarknes
$130 158% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,122 in Stokmarknes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $116 in Stokmarknes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $503 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇳🇴 Stokmarknes
🕒 Local time
04:33 4:33 AM
10:33 10:33 AM
6 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
3,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Stokmarknes 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Stokmarknes

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 Stokmarknes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Stokmarknes?
Yes – Stokmarknes is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $4,046 in Stokmarknes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,122 in Stokmarknes.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Stokmarknes?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $2,697 in Stokmarknes. That makes Playa del Carmen about 55% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 70% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Playa del Carmen or in Stokmarknes?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Stokmarknes at $2,697. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stokmarknes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Playa del Carmen or Stokmarknes more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Playa del Carmen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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