Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torshavn and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $2,504 in Torshavn, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Torshavn
Learn more

Torshavn Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Torshavn

🇫🇴 Faroe Islands

$2,504

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,504 per month in Torshavn vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Torshavn $2,504
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $3,918 per month in Torshavn vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Torshavn $3,918
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $5,331 per month in Torshavn vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Torshavn $5,331
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Torshavn costs about 107% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Torshavn sits 86% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.03 FOK 173

$10.76 MX$199

141.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$147 FOK 975

$43.03 MX$795

240.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.59 FOK 130

$11.79 MX$218

66.16%

Cappuccino

$7.02 FOK 46.67

$3.87 MX$71.4

81.40%

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

$3.27 FOK 21.77

$1.37 MX$25.29

138.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 FOK 17.80

$0.84 MX$15.44

219.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.26 FOK 61.6

$3.10 MX$57.3

198.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 FOK 59.0

$5.07 MX$93.6

74.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 FOK 14.76

$1.44 MX$26.55

54.17%

White Bread (500g)

$4.81 FOK 32.00

$2.23 MX$41.23

115.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 FOK 20.12

$1.47 MX$27.17

106.12%

Eggs

$6.49 FOK 43.15

$2.53 MX$46.71

156.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 FOK 109

$7.30 MX$135

124.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.30 FOK 95.1

$7.86 MX$145

81.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 FOK 118

$12.79 MX$236

38.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 FOK 26.34

$2.90 MX$53.6

36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$5.41 FOK 35.96

$1.44 MX$26.53

275.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.07 FOK 40.37

$2.55 MX$47.07

138.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 FOK 34.49

$2.06 MX$38.03

151.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.56 FOK 23.69

$2.00 MX$36.97

78.00%

Onion (1kg)

$4.50 FOK 29.95

$2.01 MX$37.07

123.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 FOK 22.27

$1.19 MX$22.02

181.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 FOK 25.46

$1.26 MX$23.23

203.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.06 FOK 73.6

$4.40 MX$81.4

151.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 FOK 90.7

$9.59 MX$177

42.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.18 FOK 27.80

$1.59 MX$29.41

162.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 FOK 20.24

$2.81 MX$51.9

8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 FOK 198

$27.82 MX$514

6.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 FOK 98.8

$4.98 MX$92.1

198.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 FOK 11.83

$1.47 MX$27.08

21.09%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$126 FOK 836

$84.2 MX$1,556

49.34%

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

$42.61 FOK 283

$23.99 MX$443

77.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.7 FOK 590

$29.02 MX$536

205.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 FOK 371

$63.0 MX$1,164

-11.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$16.28 FOK 108

$4.94 MX$91.3

229.55%

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

$481 FOK 3,196

$204 MX$3,763

136.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 FOK 913

$43.60 MX$806

214.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.0 FOK 399

$43.12 MX$797

39.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 FOK 1,088

$75.8 MX$1,400

115.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$244 FOK 1,624

$88.6 MX$1,637

175.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 FOK 7,325

$1,008 MX$18.6K

9.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 FOK 5,887

$374 MX$6,911

136.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 FOK 12.6K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

10.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 FOK 9,015

$1,106 MX$20.4K

22.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,620 FOK 30.7K

$3,944 MX$72.9K

17.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,573 FOK 30.4K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-25.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,246 FOK 21.6K

$754 MX$13.9K

330.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

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

Last update for Torshavn: 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

Torshavn

$885 35.3%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 57.8% $511

Groceries & Markets

Torshavn

$518 20.7%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 50.1% $259

Eating Out

Torshavn

$439 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 53.9% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Torshavn

$272 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 58.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Torshavn

$257 10.3%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 46.6% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Torshavn

$88 3.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 17.5% $15

Getting Around

Torshavn

$45 * 1.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 17.9% $8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,102 in Torshavn 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 330% higher in Torshavn, 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 $147 in Torshavn versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $518 vs $258 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇴 Torshavn

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

6 h behind Torshavn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,145 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Faroese Króna FOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 FOK = 0.15 USD

1 FOK = 0.134 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to FOK – Faroese Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇴 Faroese Króna (kr)

Faroese Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 FOK (1 FOK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 FOK (1 FOK = 0.134 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).

USD to FOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Torshavn Playa del Carmen 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Torshavn
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

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

Yes – Torshavn is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,757 per month in Torshavn 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 $2,504 in Torshavn and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 107%.

Public transport costs about 7% 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 Torshavn at $2,504. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Torshavn 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, Torshavn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.