Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,538 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,538

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oslo and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,538 in Oslo versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Oslo $3,538
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,096 in Oslo versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Oslo $5,096
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,653 in Oslo versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Oslo $6,653
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Oslo is roughly 120% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 160% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 NOK 202

$10.62 MX$198

104.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$130 NOK 1,206

$48.35 MX$901

168.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.04 NOK 149

$10.35 MX$193

54.98%

Cappuccino

$5.84 NOK 54.3

$3.69 MX$68.8

58.27%

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

$4.38 NOK 40.67

$1.67 MX$31.07

162.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.10

$1.27 MX$23.59

163.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.65 NOK 108

$3.19 MX$59.5

265.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.81 NOK 119

$5.31 MX$98.9

141.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 NOK 24.27

$1.72 MX$32.15

51.74%

White Bread (500g)

$4.38 NOK 40.73

$3.04 MX$56.7

44.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 NOK 43.68

$1.94 MX$36.19

142.27%

Eggs

$6.25 NOK 58.1

$2.89 MX$53.8

116.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.48 NOK 144

$10.97 MX$205

41.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.84 NOK 147

$9.25 MX$172

71.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$32.30 NOK 300

$15.13 MX$282

113.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 31.17

$3.05 MX$56.8

10.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.31

$1.94 MX$36.19

40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$2.03 MX$37.75

79.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 NOK 55.4

$2.31 MX$43.15

158.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 NOK 25.03

$2.04 MX$37.94

31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 NOK 26.48

$1.80 MX$33.55

58.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 NOK 30.30

$1.48 MX$27.58

120.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 NOK 23.22

$1.27 MX$23.63

96.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.21 NOK 178

$5.30 MX$98.9

262.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.64 NOK 155

$16.10 MX$300

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 NOK 33.45

$1.98 MX$36.97

81.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 NOK 39.25

$4.25 MX$79.3

-0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.02 NOK 46.65

$0.31 MX$5.69

1519.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.5 NOK 775

$19.73 MX$368

322.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 115

$1.84 MX$34.25

573.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.12

$0.53 MX$9.94

247.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 658

$5.30 MX$98.7

1236.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.05

$1.51 MX$28.16

64.24%

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

$49.9K NOK 463.6K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

129.38%

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

$44.7K NOK 415.1K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

86.29%

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

$433 NOK 4,027

$63.0 MX$1,174

588.30%

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

$34.50 NOK 321

$27.39 MX$511

25.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 NOK 517

$35.67 MX$665

56.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.1 NOK 540

$58.9 MX$1,099

-1.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.79 NOK 277

$23.64 MX$441

26.02%

Cinema Ticket

$20.78 NOK 193

$6.40 MX$119

224.69%

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

$240 NOK 2,226

$432 MX$8,045

-44.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NOK 150.2K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

41.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 969

$68.2 MX$1,272

52.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 NOK 574

$53.1 MX$990

16.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 NOK 1,253

$108 MX$2,009

25.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 NOK 1,487

$117 MX$2,186

36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 NOK 19.8K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

91.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 NOK 15.3K

$710 MX$13.2K

131.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,270 NOK 30.4K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

26.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,466 NOK 22.9K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

75.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.4K NOK 114.9K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

240.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,462 NOK 69.3K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

249.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,703 NOK 43.7K

$946 MX$17.6K

397.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

11.35

-56.48%

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

Last update for Oslo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oslo

$1.6K 46.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 56.8% $934

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$530 15%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 39.8% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$524 14.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 75.9% $398

Eating Out

Oslo

$407 11.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 51.2% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$207 5.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 24.9% $52

Getting Around

Oslo

$125 3.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 79.7% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$100 2.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 28% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,133 in Oslo and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $130 in Oslo vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $530 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

7 h behind Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oslo Mexico City 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
Mexico City

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

Oslo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oslo and Mexico City differ by about 120% in total monthly costs ($3,538 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Oslo is about 5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,133 in Oslo versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 76% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $240 in Oslo versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,538 in Oslo, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Oslo. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 55% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.