Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $1,723 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

Mexico City, Mexico
Hella, Iceland
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Hella
🇮🇸 Iceland
$1,723
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,723 in Hella, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Hella $1,723

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $2,927 in Hella, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Hella $2,927

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $4,131 in Hella, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Hella $4,131

Mexico City is about 3% cheaper than Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Hella sit above the global median – Mexico City by 24%, Hella by 27%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$31.22 ISK 3,790
-66.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$121 ISK 14.7K
-57.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$27.24 ISK 3,307
-60.61%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.6
$6.89 ISK 836
-44.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$3.25 ISK 395
-50.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$3.08 ISK 374
-60.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$14.16 ISK 1,719
-77.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$12.30 ISK 1,493
-55.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$2.00 ISK 243
-14.00%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$4.30 ISK 522
-30.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$3.66 ISK 444
-47.27%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$7.27 ISK 883
-61.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$21.85 ISK 2,652
-46.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$24.10 ISK 2,925
-60.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$41.15 ISK 4,995
-62.65%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$3.36 ISK 408
-7.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$2.83 ISK 343
-30.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$3.21 ISK 390
-38.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$6.56 ISK 797
-64.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$3.91 ISK 475
-48.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$1.69 ISK 205
7.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$3.64 ISK 442
-57.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$1.83 ISK 223
-28.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$13.97 ISK 1,696
-61.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$23.32 ISK 2,832
-30.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$3.66 ISK 445
-46.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$3.49 ISK 423
24.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$6.76 ISK 821
-71.60%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$2.75 ISK 333
-82.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$80.8 ISK 9,805
-93.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$2.10 ISK 255
-29.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$67.9K ISK 8.2M
-68.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$56.3K ISK 6.8M
-57.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$96.8 ISK 11.8K
-35.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$32.49 ISK 3,944
-12.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$85.0 ISK 10.3K
-59.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$19.81 ISK 2,405
-66.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$1,205 ISK 146.3K
-63.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$25.4K ISK 3.1M
-44.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$150 ISK 18.2K
-54.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$66.8 ISK 8,105
-17.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$185 ISK 22.4K
-40.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,158
$252 ISK 30.6K
-53.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Hella
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
-
-
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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hella: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Hella
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Hella
$619 91.4% $296
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Hella
$535 167% $334
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Hella
$294 86.8% $137
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Hella
$214 72.1% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Hella
$40 * 44.6% $32
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Hella
$20 * 18% $4.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $121 in Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $619 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇸 Hella
🕒 Local time
00:03 12:03 AM
06:03 6:03 AM
6 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
900
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Hella 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in Hella compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $1,723 in Hella – Mexico City comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Hella?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $2,584 in Hella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Mexico City or Hella?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,723 in Hella. That makes Mexico City about 3% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Hella?
Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $1,205 in Hella. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $3,000 go in Mexico City compared to Hella?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,723 in Hella, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Hella?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,674 in Mexico City to $1,723 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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