Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Longyearbyen 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 Longyearbyen and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,733 in Longyearbyen versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Longyearbyen versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,627 in Longyearbyen versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Longyearbyen is roughly 74% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Longyearbyen 102% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$10.75 MX$199

86.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$50.3 MX$929

110.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$11.10 MX$205

62.16%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$3.68 MX$68.1

86.14%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$1.65 MX$30.42

270.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$1.30 MX$24.08

329.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$3.32 MX$61.3

123.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$5.54 MX$102

61.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$1.77 MX$32.68

35.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$3.05 MX$56.4

21.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$2.01 MX$37.20

115.42%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$2.77 MX$51.1

79.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$11.91 MX$220

19.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$9.33 MX$172

117.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$15.02 MX$278

109.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$3.08 MX$56.8

108.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$1.95 MX$35.97

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$2.03 MX$37.54

237.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$2.21 MX$40.92

201.36%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$2.02 MX$37.41

171.78%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$1.82 MX$33.67

148.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$1.52 MX$28.07

196.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$1.28 MX$23.65

175.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$5.27 MX$97.4

229.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$16.12 MX$298

-10.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$1.95 MX$36.05

81.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$4.25 MX$78.6

-0.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$0.31 MX$5.82

1600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$19.85 MX$367

334.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$2.00 MX$36.93

353.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$0.53 MX$9.86

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$5.62 MX$104

1211.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$1.52 MX$28.07

40.13%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

138.96%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

64.09%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$62.5 MX$1,155

286.54%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$28.77 MX$532

14.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$34.45 MX$637

56.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$57.1 MX$1,055

-11.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$24.81 MX$458

45.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$6.67 MX$123

122.64%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$431 MX$7,964

-53.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

21.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$70.8 MX$1,308

47.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$51.8 MX$958

8.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$109 MX$2,011

15.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$112 MX$2,076

36.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$665 MX$12.3K

52.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-15.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

38.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

74.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

103.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$975 MX$18.0K

200.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

11.3

-56.28%

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

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 34.6% $352

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 45% $264

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 49.1% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Mexico City

$126 8% 61.7% $203

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 21.8% $43

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 79.4% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 12.1% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,104 in Longyearbyen and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Longyearbyen pays 201% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $106 in Longyearbyen vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $586 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

8 h behind Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Mexico City 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

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

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 74% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 201% higher in Longyearbyen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,104 in Longyearbyen versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 334% less than in Longyearbyen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $200 in Longyearbyen versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,733 in Longyearbyen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Longyearbyen. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Longyearbyen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Longyearbyen and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Longyearbyen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.