Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlstad and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Karlstad despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlstad and in Mexico City

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

A single person spends $1,727 per month in Karlstad vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Karlstad $1,727
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,665 per month in Karlstad vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Karlstad $2,665
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,603 per month in Karlstad vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Karlstad $3,603
Mexico City $3,490

Karlstad costs about 7% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karlstad and Mexico City sit above the global median – Karlstad by 27%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 SEK 149

$10.62 MX$199

42.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 SEK 790

$48.35 MX$908

66.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 SEK 98.9

$10.35 MX$194

-2.71%

Cappuccino

$4.86 SEK 47.68

$3.69 MX$69.3

31.71%

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

$2.45 SEK 24.01

$1.67 MX$31.29

46.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.25

$1.27 MX$23.76

70.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 SEK 79.3

$3.19 MX$59.9

153.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 SEK 64.7

$5.31 MX$99.6

24.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.22

$1.72 MX$32.38

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 SEK 27.80

$3.04 MX$57.1

-6.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 SEK 36.14

$1.94 MX$36.44

89.69%

Eggs

$4.37 SEK 42.85

$2.89 MX$54.2

51.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$10.97 MX$206

-7.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 SEK 137

$9.25 MX$174

50.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 SEK 174

$15.13 MX$284

17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 SEK 28.91

$3.05 MX$57.2

-3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.35

$1.94 MX$36.45

38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 SEK 29.71

$2.03 MX$38.02

49.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.40 SEK 53.0

$2.31 MX$43.46

133.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 SEK 18.80

$2.04 MX$38.21

-5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 16.84

$1.80 MX$33.79

-4.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 25.87

$1.48 MX$27.77

78.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SEK 12.74

$1.27 MX$23.80

2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 SEK 68.3

$5.30 MX$99.6

31.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 SEK 99.8

$16.10 MX$302

-36.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 SEK 23.79

$1.98 MX$37.23

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SEK 19.98

$4.25 MX$79.8

-52.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 30.70

$0.31 MX$5.73

909.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.4 SEK 789

$19.73 MX$371

307.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.46 SEK 53.6

$1.84 MX$34.50

196.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 SEK 12.67

$0.53 MX$10.02

143.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.4 SEK 592

$5.30 MX$99.4

1039.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 16.90

$1.51 MX$28.36

13.91%

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

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

50.07%

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

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

40.71%

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

$99.4 SEK 975

$63.0 MX$1,182

57.80%

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

$15.73 SEK 154

$27.39 MX$514

-42.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.76 SEK 429

$35.67 MX$670

22.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 SEK 444

$58.9 MX$1,107

-23.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.66 SEK 163

$23.64 MX$444

-29.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 SEK 138

$6.40 MX$120

120.00%

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

$126 SEK 1,236

$432 MX$8,103

-70.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$68.2 MX$1,281

54.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.85 SEK 391

$53.1 MX$997

-25.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 SEK 744

$108 MX$2,023

-29.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 SEK 1,384

$117 MX$2,202

20.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 SEK 8,518

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 SEK 5,638

$710 MX$13.3K

-19.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-54.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 SEK 8,504

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-38.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

6.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

30.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

$946 MX$17.8K

238.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.09

11.35

-63.96%

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

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlstad

$575 33.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 23.7% $136

Groceries & Markets

Karlstad

$370 21.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 13.7% $51

Eating Out

Karlstad

$282 16.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 29.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Karlstad

$163 9.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.4% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlstad

$159 9.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 20.7% $33

Getting Around

Karlstad

$105 6.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 75.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Karlstad

$73 4.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 2.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Karlstad versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlstad are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

23:33 11:33 PM

7 h behind Karlstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,797

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karlstad Mexico City 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlstad
Mexico City

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

Karlstad vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,590 per month in Karlstad and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Karlstad and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,727 in Karlstad and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 7% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,727 in Karlstad and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,727 in Karlstad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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