Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,727 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Karlstad despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,727 in Karlstad, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Karlstad $1,727

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,665 in Karlstad, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Karlstad $2,665

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,603 in Karlstad, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Karlstad $3,603

Mexico City is about 7% cheaper than Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Karlstad sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Karlstad by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$15.14 SEK 149

-29.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$80.5 SEK 790

-39.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.07 SEK 98.9

2.78%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$4.86 SEK 47.68

-24.07%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.45 SEK 24.01

-31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$2.16 SEK 21.25

-41.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$8.08 SEK 79.3

-60.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$6.60 SEK 64.7

-19.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.45 SEK 14.22

18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.83 SEK 27.80

7.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$3.68 SEK 36.14

-47.28%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$4.37 SEK 42.85

-33.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.17 SEK 99.8

7.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$13.96 SEK 137

-33.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$17.73 SEK 174

-14.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.95 SEK 28.91

3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.68 SEK 26.35

-27.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.03 SEK 29.71

-33.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$5.40 SEK 53.0

-57.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.92 SEK 18.80

6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.72 SEK 16.84

4.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$2.64 SEK 25.87

-43.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.30 SEK 12.74

-2.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-23.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.17 SEK 99.8

58.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.42 SEK 23.79

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.04 SEK 19.98

108.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$3.13 SEK 30.70

-90.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$80.4 SEK 789

-75.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$5.46 SEK 53.6

-66.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.29 SEK 12.67

-58.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$60.4 SEK 592

-91.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.72 SEK 16.90

-12.21%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$32.6K SEK 320.4K

-33.36%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$33.8K SEK 331.2K

-28.93%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$99.4 SEK 975

-36.63%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$15.73 SEK 154

74.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$43.76 SEK 429

-18.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$45.27 SEK 444

30.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$16.66 SEK 163

41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$14.08 SEK 138

-54.55%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$126 SEK 1,236

242.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$106 SEK 1,037

-35.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$39.85 SEK 391

33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$75.9 SEK 744

42.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$141 SEK 1,384

-16.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$868 SEK 8,518

28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$575 SEK 5,638

23.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,184 SEK 11.6K

118.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$867 SEK 8,504

62.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,849 SEK 37.8K

-5.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,779 SEK 27.3K

-23.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,203 SEK 31.4K

-70.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.09

177.51%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Karlstad

$575 33.3% 19.1% $136

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Karlstad

$370 21.4% 15.9% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Karlstad

$282 16.3% 41.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Karlstad

$163 9.5% 4.6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Karlstad

$159 9.2% 26% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Karlstad

$73 4.3% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 312% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $868 in Karlstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karlstad are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $81 in Karlstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $370 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

62,797

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.13 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Karlstad 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,590 in Karlstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $868 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $81 in Karlstad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,727 in Karlstad. That makes Mexico City about 7% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,727 in Karlstad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,727 in Karlstad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.