Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skien and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skien 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 Skien and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Skien versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Skien $2,336
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Skien versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Skien $3,267
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Skien versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Skien $4,197
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Skien is roughly 49% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Skien 73% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 NOK 200

$10.75 MX$199

97.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 NOK 971

$50.3 MX$929

105.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.47 NOK 146

$11.10 MX$205

39.37%

Cappuccino

$5.11 NOK 48.11

$3.68 MX$68.1

38.86%

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

$4.36 NOK 41.01

$1.65 MX$30.42

164.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 NOK 27.96

$1.30 MX$24.08

128.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.89 NOK 112

$3.32 MX$61.3

258.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 NOK 116

$5.54 MX$102

122.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 NOK 19.84

$1.77 MX$32.68

19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 NOK 36.90

$3.05 MX$56.4

28.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 NOK 42.98

$2.01 MX$37.20

127.36%

Eggs

$5.66 NOK 53.3

$2.77 MX$51.1

104.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 NOK 124

$11.91 MX$220

10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.17 NOK 143

$9.33 MX$172

62.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 NOK 205

$15.02 MX$278

45.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.49

$3.08 MX$56.8

8.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 NOK 25.42

$1.95 MX$35.97

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 NOK 32.86

$2.03 MX$37.54

71.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.95 NOK 56.0

$2.21 MX$40.92

169.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 NOK 21.04

$2.02 MX$37.41

10.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 NOK 26.12

$1.82 MX$33.67

52.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.04 NOK 28.63

$1.52 MX$28.07

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.33

$1.28 MX$23.65

93.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.02 NOK 179

$5.27 MX$97.4

260.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 NOK 148

$16.12 MX$298

-2.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 31.58

$1.95 MX$36.05

71.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 40.76

$4.25 MX$78.6

1.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 NOK 30.64

$0.31 MX$5.82

951.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.91 NOK 451

$19.85 MX$367

141.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 NOK 105

$2.00 MX$36.93

456.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 NOK 17.02

$0.53 MX$9.86

241.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.8 NOK 667

$5.62 MX$104

1159.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 NOK 21.39

$1.52 MX$28.07

49.34%

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

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

125.90%

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

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

72.19%

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

$93.9 NOK 884

$62.5 MX$1,155

50.20%

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

$33.89 NOK 319

$28.77 MX$532

17.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 NOK 504

$34.45 MX$637

55.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.10 NOK 406

$57.1 MX$1,055

-24.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 NOK 144

$6.67 MX$123

129.24%

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

$239 NOK 2,247

$431 MX$7,964

-44.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

33.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 NOK 600

$70.8 MX$1,308

-10.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 NOK 568

$51.8 MX$958

16.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 NOK 827

$109 MX$2,011

-19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,442

$112 MX$2,076

36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NOK 9,811

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$975 NOK 9,183

$665 MX$12.3K

46.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 NOK 9,746

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-55.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 NOK 8,841

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-4.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

59.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

$975 MX$18.0K

334.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

11.3

-61.33%

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

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skien

$975 41.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 31.8% $310

Groceries & Markets

Skien

$470 20.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 31.3% $147

Eating Out

Skien

$391 16.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 48.1% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skien

$181 7.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 30.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Skien

$164 7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 5.8% $9.6

Getting Around

Skien

$81 3.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 68.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Skien

$74 3.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 4.4% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,042 in Skien and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Skien pays 335% 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: $103 in Skien vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Skien

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

8 h behind Skien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,769

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skien Mexico City 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Skien
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

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

Skien and Mexico City differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,336 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 335% higher in Skien, 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: $1,042 in Skien versus $1,051 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 141% less than in Skien. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $239 in Skien versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,336 in Skien, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Skien. 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.

Safety-wise, Skien and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Skien. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.