Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,140 per month in Stavanger vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stavanger $3,140
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $4,513 per month in Stavanger vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stavanger $4,513
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Stavanger vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Stavanger $5,886
Playa del Carmen $3,072

Stavanger costs about 158% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Stavanger sits 134% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.58 NOK 235

$10.97 MX$201

124.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.3 NOK 929

$44.85 MX$823

116.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 NOK 152

$11.92 MX$219

33.81%

Cappuccino

$6.25 NOK 59.7

$3.80 MX$69.9

64.47%

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

$5.41 NOK 51.7

$1.31 MX$24.08

312.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 NOK 40.57

$0.86 MX$15.72

394.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 NOK 130

$3.21 MX$59.0

325.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.78 NOK 112

$5.01 MX$92.0

135.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.61

$1.46 MX$26.77

62.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 33.14

$2.33 MX$42.72

48.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 NOK 36.59

$1.44 MX$26.48

165.97%

Eggs

$4.70 NOK 44.87

$2.46 MX$45.20

91.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 NOK 137

$7.70 MX$141

86.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.81 NOK 161

$7.89 MX$145

113.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.43 NOK 329

$12.80 MX$235

168.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.68

$2.92 MX$53.6

17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 26.00

$1.42 MX$26.11

91.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 NOK 33.78

$2.57 MX$47.10

37.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 NOK 46.90

$2.14 MX$39.24

129.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.35

$1.95 MX$35.75

30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 NOK 29.79

$1.94 MX$35.55

60.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 NOK 26.81

$1.15 MX$21.13

144.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.33

$1.22 MX$22.42

91.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.13 NOK 164

$4.38 MX$80.3

291.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.45 NOK 176

$9.85 MX$181

87.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 NOK 35.54

$1.54 MX$28.23

141.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 42.52

$2.72 MX$49.86

63.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 45.49

$0.52 MX$9.64

815.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 NOK 831

$27.42 MX$503

217.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 NOK 58.2

$4.91 MX$90.2

24.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NOK 16.69

$3.52 MX$64.7

-50.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 981

$5.69 MX$104

1704.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 22.50

$1.54 MX$28.27

53.25%

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

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

$21.2K MX$389.9K

122.66%

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

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

$24.5K MX$449.6K

65.05%

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

$245 NOK 2,337

$83.6 MX$1,535

192.66%

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

$35.29 NOK 337

$24.03 MX$441

46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 NOK 779

$29.33 MX$539

178.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 NOK 480

$64.9 MX$1,191

-22.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 352

$29.46 MX$541

24.95%

Cinema Ticket

$22.03 NOK 210

$5.09 MX$93.4

332.81%

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

$322 NOK 3,080

$208 MX$3,813

55.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

$4,045 MX$74.3K

247.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 NOK 1,212

$44.55 MX$818

184.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 NOK 574

$42.06 MX$772

42.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,459

$75.5 MX$1,387

102.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,948

$91.4 MX$1,678

123.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

$986 MX$18.1K

68.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

$385 MX$7,072

258.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

$1,713 MX$31.5K

61.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

81.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

$4,016 MX$73.7K

54.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-15.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

$758 MX$13.9K

553.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

11.45

-53.97%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 72.1% $995

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$513 16.2%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 49.2% $252

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.2%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 54.7% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$362 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 62.1% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$245 7.7%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 53.4% $131

Getting Around

Stavanger

$121 3.8%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 57% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$94 3%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 20.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,658 in Stavanger versus $986 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 553% higher in Stavanger, 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 $97.0 in Stavanger versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $513 vs $260 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

05:32 5:32 AM

7 h behind Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

149,923

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Playa del Carmen 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
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

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

Yes – Stavanger is pricier by about 158%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,710 per month in Stavanger and $1,823 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 $3,140 in Stavanger and $1,215 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 158%.

Public transport costs about 217% 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 $1,215, than in Stavanger at $3,140. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger 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, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.