Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Akranes

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,713 in Akranes, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
179

Cost of Living Index in Akranes
Learn more

Akranes Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Akranes

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,713 in Akranes.

Mexico City $1,608
Akranes $3,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $5,859 in Akranes.

Mexico City $2,549
Akranes $5,859

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $8,006 in Akranes.

Mexico City $3,490
Akranes $8,006

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 57% less than in Akranes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Akranes 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$31.70 ISK 3,848

-66.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$123 ISK 15.0K

-60.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$26.72 ISK 3,243

-61.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$6.01 ISK 730

-38.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$3.19 ISK 388

-47.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$2.51 ISK 304

-49.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$10.69 ISK 1,298

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$8.10 ISK 984

-34.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.10 ISK 255

-18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.04 ISK 248

49.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.71 ISK 451

-47.71%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$6.26 ISK 760

-53.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$20.35 ISK 2,470

-46.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$24.72 ISK 3,001

-62.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$42.16 ISK 5,119

-64.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.30 ISK 400

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.72 ISK 330

-28.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$3.23 ISK 392

-37.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.89 ISK 593

-52.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$3.82 ISK 463

-46.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.71 ISK 207

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$3.65 ISK 443

-59.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.81 ISK 220

-29.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$13.90 ISK 1,687

-61.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$23.57 ISK 2,862

-31.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.88 ISK 350

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.07 ISK 251

105.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$3.61 ISK 439

-91.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$72.3 ISK 8,778

-72.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$6.55 ISK 795

-71.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.25 ISK 152

-57.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$81.9 ISK 9,944

-93.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$2.08 ISK 252

-27.40%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$67.8K ISK 8.2M

-67.93%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$54.6K ISK 6.6M

-56.04%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$96.4 ISK 11.7K

-34.65%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$33.29 ISK 4,041

-17.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$104 ISK 12.6K

-43.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$19.29 ISK 2,342

-66.82%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$1,205 ISK 146.3K

-64.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$26.1K ISK 3.2M

-56.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$150 ISK 18.2K

-54.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$67.1 ISK 8,147

-20.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$179 ISK 21.7K

-39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$246 ISK 29.8K

-52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$3,064 ISK 372.0K

-63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$1,889 ISK 229.3K

-62.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$5,013 ISK 608.6K

-48.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$3,654 ISK 443.6K

-61.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$5,704 ISK 692.5K

-83.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.81

28.83%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Akranes: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Akranes

$1.9K 50.9% 166% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Akranes

$579 15.6% 81.3% $260

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Akranes

$498 13.4% 151% $300

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Akranes

$289 7.8% 85.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Akranes

$215 5.8% 70.3% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Akranes

$143 3.9% 99% $71

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Akranes

$100 2.7% 291% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $3,064 in Akranes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Akranes pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $123 in Akranes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $579 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇸 Akranes

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

07:04 7:04 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.38 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Akranes 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Akranes

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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Akranes. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $3,064 in Akranes. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $3,713 in Akranes – Mexico City is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 73% less than in Akranes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,713 in Akranes, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Akranes. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Akranes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.