Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porsgrunn and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,673 in Porsgrunn, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Porsgrunn
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,673
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Porsgrunn and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,673 per month in Porsgrunn vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porsgrunn $2,673
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Porsgrunn vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porsgrunn $3,818
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $4,962 per month in Porsgrunn vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Porsgrunn $4,962
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Porsgrunn costs about 121% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Porsgrunn sits 98% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.92 NOK 197
$10.76 MX$199
94.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$105 NOK 990
$43.03 MX$795
144.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.57 NOK 147
$11.79 MX$218
32.06%
Cappuccino
$5.60 NOK 52.7
$3.87 MX$71.4
44.70%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.49 NOK 32.88
$1.37 MX$25.29
154.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 NOK 28.58
$0.84 MX$15.44
261.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.53 NOK 109
$3.10 MX$57.3
271.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.41 NOK 98.0
$5.07 MX$93.6
105.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.44 NOK 23.00
$1.44 MX$26.55
69.44%
White Bread (500g)
$4.09 NOK 38.49
$2.23 MX$41.23
83.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.53 NOK 42.62
$1.47 MX$27.17
208.16%
Eggs
$5.79 NOK 54.5
$2.53 MX$46.71
128.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.79 NOK 139
$7.30 MX$135
102.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.68 NOK 148
$7.86 MX$145
99.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.79 NOK 299
$12.79 MX$236
148.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 NOK 31.98
$2.90 MX$53.6
17.24%
Banana (1kg)
$2.59 NOK 24.35
$1.44 MX$26.53
79.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.50 NOK 32.97
$2.55 MX$47.07
37.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.89 NOK 55.5
$2.06 MX$38.03
185.92%
Potato (1kg)
$2.61 NOK 24.59
$2.00 MX$36.97
30.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.90 NOK 27.33
$2.01 MX$37.07
44.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.14 NOK 29.55
$1.19 MX$22.02
163.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 NOK 22.50
$1.26 MX$23.23
89.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$18.43 NOK 174
$4.40 MX$81.4
318.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.49 NOK 155
$9.59 MX$177
71.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.35 NOK 31.49
$1.59 MX$29.41
110.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 NOK 38.90
$2.81 MX$51.9
46.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.68 NOK 25.20
$0.57 MX$10.47
370.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.08 NOK 443
$27.82 MX$514
69.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$11.92 NOK 112
$4.98 MX$92.1
139.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.87 NOK 17.65
$3.50 MX$64.6
-46.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$69.5 NOK 654
$5.40 MX$99.8
1186.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.45 NOK 23.07
$1.47 MX$27.08
66.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$47.6K NOK 448.2K
$21.0K MX$387.8K
126.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.1K NOK 414.9K
$23.9K MX$441.8K
84.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$417 NOK 3,926
$84.2 MX$1,556
395.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.67 NOK 308
$23.99 MX$443
36.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.9 NOK 498
$29.02 MX$536
82.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$63.0 MX$1,164
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$20.21 NOK 190
$4.94 MX$91.3
309.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$236 NOK 2,221
$204 MX$3,763
15.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.5K NOK 146.1K
$3,941 MX$72.8K
293.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.6 NOK 928
$43.60 MX$806
126.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.0 NOK 555
$43.12 MX$797
36.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$131 NOK 1,238
$75.8 MX$1,400
73.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$158 NOK 1,487
$88.6 MX$1,637
78.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$824 NOK 7,752
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-18.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$950 NOK 8,946
$374 MX$6,911
154.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,563 NOK 14.7K
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-8.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,259 NOK 11.9K
$1,106 MX$20.4K
13.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,944 MX$72.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Porsgrunn
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$754 MX$13.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
11.45
-66.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Porsgrunn: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Porsgrunn
$950
Playa del Carmen
$374 60.6% $576
Groceries & Markets
Porsgrunn
$514
Playa del Carmen
$258 49.7% $255
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Porsgrunn
$503
Playa del Carmen
$137 72.7% $365
Eating Out
Porsgrunn
$386
Playa del Carmen
$202 47.6% $184
Clothing & Footwear
Porsgrunn
$201
Playa del Carmen
$113 43.8% $88
Getting Around
Porsgrunn
$79
Playa del Carmen
$53 33.5% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Porsgrunn
$40 *
Playa del Carmen
$73 80.2% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Porsgrunn versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $105 in Porsgrunn versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $514 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Porsgrunn
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
10:10 10:10 AM
7 h behind Porsgrunn
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,144
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Porsgrunn Playa del Carmen 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Porsgrunn
  • Playa del Carmen

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
Porsgrunn vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Porsgrunn?
Yes – Porsgrunn is pricier by about 121%, 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 $4,010 per month in Porsgrunn and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Porsgrunn and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,673 in Porsgrunn and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 121%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 69% 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 Porsgrunn or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Porsgrunn at $2,673. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Porsgrunn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Porsgrunn or Playa del Carmen 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 safer, Porsgrunn or Playa del Carmen?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Porsgrunn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Porsgrunn vs other spots: cost of living compared

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