Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,872 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Sarpsborg
Learn more

Sarpsborg Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sarpsborg

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,872

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,872 per month in Sarpsborg vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarpsborg $2,872
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $4,169 per month in Sarpsborg vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarpsborg $4,169
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $5,466 per month in Sarpsborg vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Sarpsborg $5,466
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Sarpsborg costs about 139% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sarpsborg sits 112% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$40.81 NOK 379

$10.67 MX$199

282.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.3 NOK 922

$43.80 MX$815

126.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.17 NOK 178

$11.79 MX$219

62.60%

Cappuccino

$5.74 NOK 53.4

$3.79 MX$70.5

51.45%

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

$2.88 NOK 26.79

$1.30 MX$24.14

121.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 NOK 24.80

$0.83 MX$15.51

221.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 NOK 61.3

$3.15 MX$58.6

109.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 NOK 76.2

$4.93 MX$91.8

66.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 NOK 21.52

$1.41 MX$26.22

64.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 NOK 32.47

$2.20 MX$40.86

58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 NOK 37.27

$1.47 MX$27.40

172.79%

Eggs

$4.56 NOK 42.36

$2.50 MX$46.46

82.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 NOK 116

$7.29 MX$136

72.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.04 NOK 158

$7.95 MX$148

114.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.26 NOK 318

$12.86 MX$239

166.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 NOK 35.78

$2.90 MX$53.9

32.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.84

$1.38 MX$25.74

93.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.48

$2.49 MX$46.35

40.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 NOK 56.1

$2.03 MX$37.77

197.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 26.42

$2.02 MX$37.68

40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 NOK 29.54

$1.90 MX$35.42

67.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 NOK 24.64

$1.14 MX$21.30

132.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 NOK 24.03

$1.24 MX$23.05

108.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.56 NOK 145

$4.27 MX$79.5

264.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.73 NOK 128

$9.81 MX$183

39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 NOK 31.01

$1.59 MX$29.51

110.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 NOK 43.75

$2.75 MX$51.1

71.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 NOK 24.39

$0.51 MX$9.58

413.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 NOK 810

$27.39 MX$510

218.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 NOK 112

$4.76 MX$88.6

152.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NOK 18.29

$3.25 MX$60.5

-39.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$63.8 NOK 593

$5.39 MX$100

1083.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.10

$1.53 MX$28.44

48.37%

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

$55.3K NOK 514.2K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

160.83%

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

$47.2K NOK 438.3K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

102.74%

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

$238 NOK 2,210

$83.5 MX$1,554

184.86%

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

$36.62 NOK 340

$23.19 MX$431

57.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.03 NOK 437

$27.61 MX$514

70.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 NOK 465

$56.4 MX$1,050

-11.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.46 NOK 357

$28.19 MX$525

36.43%

Cinema Ticket

$19.49 NOK 181

$5.00 MX$93.1

289.80%

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

$239 NOK 2,220

$207 MX$3,854

15.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K NOK 107.9K

$5,231 MX$97.3K

121.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 NOK 1,035

$43.45 MX$809

156.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 NOK 621

$42.54 MX$792

57.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,159

$72.8 MX$1,354

71.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$180 NOK 1,672

$88.4 MX$1,645

103.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 NOK 11.4K

$995 MX$18.5K

23.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 NOK 10.2K

$382 MX$7,116

185.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 NOK 14.9K

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-4.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 NOK 13.0K

$1,081 MX$20.1K

29.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,415 NOK 59.6K

$3,909 MX$72.7K

64.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,241 NOK 39.4K

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-30.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,714 NOK 25.2K

$832 MX$15.5K

226.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

11.45

-54.76%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarpsborg

$1.1K 38.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 65% $710

Eating Out

Sarpsborg

$524 18.3%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 61.8% $324

Groceries & Markets

Sarpsborg

$508 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 49.3% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarpsborg

$321 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 58.2% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Sarpsborg

$217 7.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 48.8% $106

Getting Around

Sarpsborg

$120 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 57.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sarpsborg

$89 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 25.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Sarpsborg versus $995 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 in Sarpsborg are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Sarpsborg versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $508 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Sarpsborg

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

6 h behind Sarpsborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,906

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.59 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.43 NOK (100 NOK = 9.59 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.89 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sarpsborg Playa del Carmen 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarpsborg
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

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

Yes – Sarpsborg is pricier by about 139%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,308 per month in Sarpsborg and $1,804 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,872 in Sarpsborg and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 58% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 69% 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 $1,202, than in Sarpsborg at $2,872. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarpsborg 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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sarpsborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.