Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arendal

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,750 in Arendal, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in Arendal
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Arendal Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arendal

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Arendal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,750 in Arendal.

Mexico City $1,608
Arendal $2,750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,932 in Arendal.

Mexico City $2,549
Arendal $3,932

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $5,113 in Arendal.

Mexico City $3,490
Arendal $5,113

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 42% less than in Arendal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Arendal 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$20.71 NOK 192

-48.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$67.1 NOK 624

-27.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$16.06 NOK 149

-35.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$5.51 NOK 51.2

-33.03%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.75 NOK 34.87

-55.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$3.42 NOK 31.76

-62.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$11.85 NOK 110

-73.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$10.58 NOK 98.3

-49.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$2.49 NOK 23.14

-30.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$3.55 NOK 32.97

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$4.01 NOK 37.24

-51.62%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.76 NOK 44.23

-39.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$14.98 NOK 139

-26.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$14.93 NOK 139

-38.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$34.94 NOK 325

-56.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.61 NOK 33.50

-15.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.75 NOK 25.55

-29.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$3.49 NOK 32.39

-41.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.99 NOK 46.34

-53.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.56 NOK 23.79

-20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$3.16 NOK 29.34

-43.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$2.90 NOK 26.97

-48.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.42 NOK 22.53

-47.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$18.37 NOK 171

-71.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.07 NOK 140

6.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$3.74 NOK 34.78

-47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$4.45 NOK 41.31

-4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.78 NOK 35.12

-91.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$94.4 NOK 877

-79.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$6.36 NOK 59.1

-71.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.82 NOK 16.88

-70.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$108 NOK 1,007

-95.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$2.33 NOK 21.67

-35.19%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$49.6K NOK 461.2K

-56.18%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$41.7K NOK 387.5K

-42.50%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$263 NOK 2,440

-76.02%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$34.00 NOK 316

-19.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$79.7 NOK 741

-55.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$37.05 NOK 344

59.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$15.90 NOK 148

-59.75%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$335 NOK 3,108

29.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$14.5K NOK 134.9K

-21.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$131 NOK 1,213

-47.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$44.64 NOK 415

19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$130 NOK 1,209

-17.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$210 NOK 1,948

-44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,159 NOK 10.8K

-3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,053 NOK 9,785

-32.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,593 NOK 14.8K

62.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,518 NOK 14.1K

-7.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$4,347 NOK 40.4K

-16.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,230 NOK 30.0K

-33.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$4,235 NOK 39.3K

-77.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.68

142.52%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arendal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Arendal

$1.1K 38.3% 48.2% $343

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Arendal

$506 18.4% 58.3% $186

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Arendal

$389 14.2% 95.9% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Arendal

$232 8.4% 48.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Arendal

$376 13.7% 199% $250

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Arendal

$69 2.5% 4% $2.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Arendal

$125 4.5% 391% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,159 in Arendal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arendal pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $67 in Arendal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $506 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇴 Arendal

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

46,406

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Arendal 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arendal

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 Arendal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,750 in Arendal, so Mexico City is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $1,159 in Arendal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $335 in Arendal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Arendal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 42% less than in Arendal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.