Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sala, Sweden

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,555 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,555 in Sala.

Mexico City $1,608
Sala $1,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,301 in Sala.

Mexico City $2,549
Sala $2,301

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,046 in Sala.

Mexico City $3,490
Sala $3,046

Living in Mexico City is roughly 3% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Sala 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$12.16 SEK 119

-12.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$60.1 SEK 590

-19.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.87 SEK 97.0

4.86%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.04 SEK 29.86

21.38%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.74 SEK 17.06

-4.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$2.24 SEK 21.98

-43.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$7.19 SEK 70.6

-55.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$7.24 SEK 71.1

-26.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.72 SEK 16.90

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.57 SEK 25.27

18.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.42 SEK 33.63

-43.27%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.26 SEK 51.6

-45.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.30 SEK 111

-2.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$12.99 SEK 128

-28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$22.54 SEK 221

-32.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.90 SEK 28.45

5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.67 SEK 26.23

-27.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.68 SEK 26.34

-24.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.59 SEK 45.08

-49.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.45 SEK 14.22

40.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.13 SEK 11.11

59.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.53 SEK 24.83

-41.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.03 SEK 10.15

23.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.96 SEK 68.3

-23.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.01 SEK 59.1

167.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.01 SEK 19.71

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.76 SEK 17.32

141.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.98 SEK 29.27

-89.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$20.73 SEK 204

-4.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$5.86 SEK 57.5

-68.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.78 SEK 17.49

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$81.0 SEK 796

-93.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.70 SEK 16.71

-11.18%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$33.9K SEK 332.8K

-35.81%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$33.6K SEK 330.2K

-28.68%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$178 SEK 1,743

-64.52%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$19.84 SEK 195

38.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$39.07 SEK 384

-8.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$45.69 SEK 449

29.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$19.95 SEK 196

18.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$16.33 SEK 160

-60.81%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$221 SEK 2,165

95.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$1,219 SEK 12.0K

837.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$44.53 SEK 437

53.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$34.85 SEK 342

52.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$52.4 SEK 515

105.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$55.0 SEK 540

113.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$716 SEK 7,032

55.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$516 SEK 5,069

37.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$921 SEK 9,041

181.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$713 SEK 7,006

97.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,986 SEK 39.1K

-8.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,798 SEK 27.5K

-23.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,432 SEK 23.9K

-61.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.8

305.36%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sala

$516 33.2% 27.3% $194

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sala

$363 23.4% 13.6% $44

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sala

$230 14.8% 15.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sala

$84 5.4% 46.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sala

$236 15.2% 87.6% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sala

$78 5% 9.2% $6.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sala

$47 3.1% 86.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $716 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sala pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $60 in Sala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $363 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

03:04 3:04 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

22,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 SEK = 10.18 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.82 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sala 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,555 in Sala, so Sala is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% 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 $716 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 5% less than in Sala. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $221 in Sala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.