Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
Stavanger
🇳🇴 Norway
$3,140
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,140 in Stavanger.

  • Mexico City $1,561
  • Stavanger $3,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $4,513 in Stavanger.

  • Mexico City $2,440
  • Stavanger $4,513

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $5,886 in Stavanger.

  • Mexico City $3,319
  • Stavanger $5,886

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 50% less than in Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Stavanger 134% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.12 MX$204
$24.58 NOK 235
-54.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.99 MX$900
$97.3 NOK 929
-49.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 MX$206
$15.95 NOK 152
-29.59%
Cappuccino
$3.76 MX$69.0
$6.25 NOK 59.7
-39.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.34
$5.41 NOK 51.7
-69.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.48
$4.25 NOK 40.57
-69.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$59.8
$13.66 NOK 130
-76.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.66 MX$104
$11.78 NOK 112
-51.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 MX$33.23
$2.37 NOK 22.61
-23.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 MX$54.0
$3.47 NOK 33.14
-15.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 MX$37.62
$3.83 NOK 36.59
-46.48%
Eggs
$2.93 MX$53.7
$4.70 NOK 44.87
-37.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.95 MX$219
$14.36 NOK 137
-16.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.51 MX$175
$16.81 NOK 161
-43.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.84 MX$273
$34.43 NOK 329
-56.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 MX$57.7
$3.42 NOK 32.68
-8.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.99
$2.72 NOK 26.00
-26.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MX$38.10
$3.54 NOK 33.78
-41.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$40.72
$4.91 NOK 46.90
-54.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.82
$2.55 NOK 24.35
-19.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 MX$34.46
$3.12 NOK 29.79
-39.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.18
$2.81 NOK 26.81
-47.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 MX$24.70
$2.34 NOK 22.33
-42.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$17.13 NOK 164
-68.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.86 MX$310
$18.45 NOK 176
-8.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.43
$3.72 NOK 35.54
-46.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.32 MX$79.4
$4.45 NOK 42.52
-2.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.33
$4.76 NOK 45.49
-92.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.23 MX$371
$87.0 NOK 831
-76.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 MX$38.47
$6.09 NOK 58.2
-65.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.74
$1.75 NOK 16.69
-69.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$103 NOK 981
-94.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$27.91
$2.36 NOK 22.50
-35.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K MX$399.0K
$47.3K NOK 451.6K
-54.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K MX$455.6K
$40.4K NOK 386.0K
-38.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,156
$245 NOK 2,337
-74.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 MX$530
$35.29 NOK 337
-18.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.93 MX$623
$81.6 NOK 779
-58.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 MX$1,024
$50.3 NOK 480
10.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.90 MX$457
$36.81 NOK 352
-32.36%
Cinema Ticket
$6.77 MX$124
$22.03 NOK 210
-69.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$428 MX$7,854
$322 NOK 3,080
32.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K MX$218.0K
$14.1K NOK 134.4K
-15.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.0 MX$1,286
$127 NOK 1,212
-44.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 MX$986
$60.1 NOK 574
-10.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 MX$2,016
$153 NOK 1,459
-28.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 MX$2,115
$204 NOK 1,948
-43.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,062 MX$19.5K
$1,658 NOK 15.8K
-35.92%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 MX$12.3K
$1,380 NOK 13.2K
-51.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,379 MX$43.7K
$2,766 NOK 26.4K
-13.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 MX$23.1K
$2,016 NOK 19.3K
-37.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,716 MX$68.2K
$6,196 NOK 59.2K
-40.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,976 MX$36.3K
$5,307 NOK 50.7K
-62.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Stavanger
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$997 MX$18.3K
$4,951 NOK 47.3K
-79.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
5.27
114.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$671
Stavanger
$1.4K 106% $709
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$327
Stavanger
$513 56.9% $186
Eating Out
Mexico City
$207
Stavanger
$450 117% $243
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$157
Stavanger
$245 55.9% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Stavanger
$362 188% $236
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$69
Stavanger
$94 36.1% $25
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Stavanger
$121 359% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stavanger pays 397% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $97.0 in Stavanger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $513 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇳🇴 Stavanger
🕒 Local time
04:29 4:29 AM
12:29 12:29 PM
8 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
149,330
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.7 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Stavanger 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Stavanger?
Mexico City and Stavanger differ by about 101% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $3,140 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 397% lower in Stavanger. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Stavanger?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $1,658 in Stavanger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Stavanger?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 330% less than in Stavanger. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Stavanger?
Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $322 in Stavanger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,140 in Stavanger, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Stavanger. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Stavanger?
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.
Is Mexico City or Stavanger safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Stavanger are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Stavanger?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Stavanger. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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