Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Tonsberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,630 in Tonsberg, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Tonsberg
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Tonsberg Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Tonsberg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,630 in Tonsberg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Tonsberg $2,630

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,815 in Tonsberg, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Tonsberg $3,815

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

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Tonsberg $5,000

Playa del Carmen is about 54% cheaper than Tonsberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Tonsberg is 94% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$20.94 NOK 197

-48.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$105 NOK 991

-58.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$15.53 NOK 146

-24.28%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$5.45 NOK 51.3

-32.48%

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

$1.34 MX$24.79

$5.61 NOK 52.8

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$5.37 NOK 50.6

-84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$11.46 NOK 108

-73.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$10.27 NOK 96.7

-51.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.47 NOK 23.28

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$3.72 NOK 35.01

-40.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$3.85 NOK 36.24

-61.56%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$4.86 NOK 45.78

-48.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$12.96 NOK 122

-41.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$15.73 NOK 148

-49.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$31.41 NOK 296

-59.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.22 NOK 30.33

-13.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$2.57 NOK 24.20

-44.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$3.38 NOK 31.79

-22.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$4.78 NOK 45.04

-55.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$2.52 NOK 23.75

-19.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.79 NOK 26.26

-28.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$2.93 NOK 27.54

-61.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$2.35 NOK 22.15

-48.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$17.24 NOK 162

-75.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$16.69 NOK 157

-39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$3.49 NOK 32.82

-55.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$4.14 NOK 38.94

-35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$4.55 NOK 42.80

-88.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$84.5 NOK 795

-67.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$11.70 NOK 110

-58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$1.78 NOK 16.77

92.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$70.5 NOK 664

-92.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$2.35 NOK 22.13

-38.30%

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

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$47.7K NOK 448.8K

-55.63%

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

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$43.9K NOK 413.4K

-47.59%

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

$85.4 MX$1,577

$267 NOK 2,513

-68.02%

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

$23.46 MX$434

$33.09 NOK 312

-29.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$53.8 NOK 506

-47.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$49.11 NOK 462

26.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$37.03 NOK 349

-22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$17.21 NOK 162

-70.37%

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

$201 MX$3,715

$238 NOK 2,236

-15.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$12.8K NOK 120.8K

-69.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$99.7 NOK 938

-55.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$55.8 NOK 525

-25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$123 NOK 1,159

-40.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$156 NOK 1,469

-42.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,187 NOK 11.2K

-17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$983 NOK 9,254

-62.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$1,474 NOK 13.9K

14.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,277 NOK 12.0K

-14.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$6,073 NOK 57.2K

-34.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$4,046 NOK 38.1K

51.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$4,435 NOK 41.7K

-83.37%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Tonsberg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Tonsberg

$983 37.4% 164% $610

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Tonsberg

$490 18.6% 89.5% $231

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Tonsberg

$401 15.3% 100% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Tonsberg

$354 13.5% 158% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Tonsberg

$196 7.4% 75.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Tonsberg

$84 3.2% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Tonsberg

$123 4.7% 139% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,187 in Tonsberg. 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 501% higher in Tonsberg, 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 $105 in Tonsberg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $490 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇳🇴 Tonsberg

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

03:11 3:11 AM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

59,237

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Tonsberg 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Tonsberg

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 Tonsberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tonsberg is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,945 in Tonsberg. 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 $2,630 in Tonsberg. That's a gap of about 118%.

Public transport costs about 207% 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 Tonsberg at $2,630. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tonsberg 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, Tonsberg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.