Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,611 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,611 in Harstad.

Mexico City $1,608
Harstad $2,611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,888 in Harstad.

Mexico City $2,549
Harstad $3,888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $5,164 in Harstad.

Mexico City $3,490
Harstad $5,164

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 38% less than in Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Harstad 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$14.27 NOK 131

-25.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$106 NOK 971

-54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$15.97 NOK 147

-35.19%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$6.27 NOK 57.6

-41.15%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$3.70 NOK 34.03

-54.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$3.18 NOK 29.18

-60.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$12.77 NOK 117

-75.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$14.04 NOK 129

-62.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$2.54 NOK 23.33

-32.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.39 NOK 31.10

-10.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$3.14 NOK 28.83

-38.22%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$4.42 NOK 40.61

-34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.37 NOK 104

-3.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$15.31 NOK 141

-39.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$41.97 NOK 386

-63.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$4.28 NOK 39.30

-28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.87 NOK 26.38

-32.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.87 NOK 35.55

-47.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$4.79 NOK 43.97

-51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.21 NOK 20.33

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.18 NOK 20.03

-17.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$3.00 NOK 27.55

-50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$2.34 NOK 21.49

-45.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$16.41 NOK 151

-67.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$15.93 NOK 146

1.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$3.90 NOK 35.82

-49.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$4.89 NOK 44.90

-13.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$6.17 NOK 56.7

-94.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$84.1 NOK 772

-76.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$15.98 NOK 147

-88.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.91 NOK 17.52

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$58.0 NOK 533

-90.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$2.34 NOK 21.48

-35.47%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$36.9K NOK 339.4K

-41.12%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$31.6K NOK 290.4K

-24.12%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$173 NOK 1,587

-63.54%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$35.51 NOK 326

-22.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$79.5 NOK 731

-55.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$49.72 NOK 457

18.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$36.95 NOK 339

-36.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$17.75 NOK 163

-63.94%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$325 NOK 2,985

32.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$5,295 NOK 48.6K

115.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$68.8 NOK 632

-0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$35.70 NOK 328

48.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$121 NOK 1,115

-11.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$170 NOK 1,563

-31.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,411 NOK 13.0K

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,053 NOK 9,673

-32.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,352 NOK 21.6K

10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,537 NOK 14.1K

-8.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$6,396 NOK 58.8K

-43.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$4,354 NOK 40.0K

-50.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,511 NOK 32.3K

-73.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

127.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Harstad

$1.1K 40.3% 48.2% $342

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Harstad

$516 19.8% 61.6% $197

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Harstad

$357 13.7% 79.6% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Harstad

$178 6.8% 14.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Harstad

$288 11% 128% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Harstad

$85 3.3% 18.8% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Harstad

$134 5.1% 427% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,411 in Harstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harstad pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $106 in Harstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $516 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

25,119

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 NOK = 10.88 USD

100 NOK = 9.75 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.19 NOK (1 NOK = 0.109 USD). 1 EUR = 10.26 NOK (100 NOK = 9.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Harstad 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $1,411 in Harstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Harstad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $106 in Harstad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 38% less than in Harstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.