Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $4,002 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $33,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
59

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

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,002

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Reykjavik 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 Reykjavik and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,002 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,002
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $5,705 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,705
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $7,407 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,407
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Reykjavik costs about 231% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Reykjavik sits 196% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.56 ISK 3,828

$10.76 MX$199

193.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 ISK 14.8K

$43.03 MX$795

184.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.86 ISK 3,258

$11.79 MX$218

127.82%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ISK 827

$3.87 MX$71.4

75.97%

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

$3.39 ISK 411

$1.37 MX$25.29

147.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ISK 388

$0.84 MX$15.44

280.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.14 ISK 1,715

$3.10 MX$57.3

356.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.31 ISK 1,493

$5.07 MX$93.6

142.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.44 MX$26.55

45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 ISK 508

$2.23 MX$41.23

87.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ISK 451

$1.47 MX$27.17

153.06%

Eggs

$7.05 ISK 856

$2.53 MX$46.71

178.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ISK 2,615

$7.30 MX$135

195.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.68 ISK 2,993

$7.86 MX$145

213.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.19 ISK 5,117

$12.79 MX$236

229.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ISK 392

$2.90 MX$53.6

11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 ISK 331

$1.44 MX$26.53

89.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 384

$2.55 MX$47.07

24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.61 ISK 802

$2.06 MX$38.03

220.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ISK 467

$2.00 MX$36.97

92.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ISK 201

$2.01 MX$37.07

-17.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 461

$1.19 MX$22.02

219.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ISK 212

$1.26 MX$23.23

38.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.71 ISK 1,662

$4.40 MX$81.4

211.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.21 ISK 2,937

$9.59 MX$177

152.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 428

$1.59 MX$29.41

122.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ISK 402

$2.81 MX$51.9

18.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.75 ISK 697

$0.57 MX$10.47

908.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 ISK 11.4K

$27.82 MX$514

237.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$4.98 MX$92.1

32.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 ISK 352

$3.50 MX$64.6

-17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.2 ISK 9,602

$5.40 MX$99.8

1365.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.47 MX$27.08

42.18%

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

$51.0K ISK 6.2M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

143.09%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

122.84%

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

$95.3 ISK 11.6K

$84.2 MX$1,556

13.12%

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

$32.35 ISK 3,923

$23.99 MX$443

34.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.5 ISK 10.6K

$29.02 MX$536

201.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 ISK 12.4K

$63.0 MX$1,164

61.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.1 ISK 6,074

$29.14 MX$539

71.86%

Cinema Ticket

$19.88 ISK 2,412

$4.94 MX$91.3

302.43%

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

$1,194 ISK 144.8K

$204 MX$3,763

486.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K ISK 3.1M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

544.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$43.60 MX$806

241.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ISK 8,080

$43.12 MX$797

54.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$180 ISK 21.8K

$75.8 MX$1,400

137.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$88.6 MX$1,637

185.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,549 ISK 309.2K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

152.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,056 ISK 249.4K

$374 MX$6,911

449.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,498 ISK 424.2K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

104.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,764 ISK 335.2K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

149.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,120 ISK 984.9K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

105.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,254 ISK 758.5K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

1.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,573 ISK 554.6K

$754 MX$13.9K

506.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

11.45

-23.06%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: October 12, 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

Reykjavik

$2.1K 51.4%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 81.8% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$623 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 58.5% $364

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$536 13.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 62.3% $334

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$292 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 61.3% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$215 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 36.2% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$142 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 48.5% $69

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$138 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 61.9% $85

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,549 in Reykjavik 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.

Salaries run about 506% higher in Reykjavik, 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 $122 in Reykjavik versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $623 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

5 h behind Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Reykjavik Playa del Carmen 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
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

Reykjavik vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Reykjavik is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,003 per month in Reykjavik and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $4,002 in Reykjavik and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 231%.

Public transport costs about 237% 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 Reykjavik at $4,002. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik 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, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.