Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,574 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
Learn more

Stockholm Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,574

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,574 in Stockholm versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Stockholm $2,574
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,871 in Stockholm versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Stockholm $3,871
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,167 in Stockholm versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Stockholm $5,167
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Stockholm is roughly 64% 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: Stockholm 91% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.12 SEK 180

$10.75 MX$199

68.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 SEK 986

$50.3 MX$929

98.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 SEK 117

$11.10 MX$205

5.95%

Cappuccino

$4.95 SEK 49.03

$3.68 MX$68.1

34.51%

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

$3.68 SEK 36.46

$1.65 MX$30.42

123.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 SEK 31.28

$1.30 MX$24.08

143.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 SEK 79.8

$3.32 MX$61.3

142.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 SEK 87.4

$5.54 MX$102

59.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.80

$1.77 MX$32.68

1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 SEK 38.43

$3.05 MX$56.4

27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 SEK 37.99

$2.01 MX$37.20

90.55%

Eggs

$5.14 SEK 50.9

$2.77 MX$51.1

85.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 SEK 123

$11.91 MX$220

4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 SEK 125

$9.33 MX$172

35.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 SEK 217

$15.02 MX$278

45.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 SEK 34.41

$3.08 MX$56.8

12.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 SEK 27.15

$1.95 MX$35.97

40.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 SEK 30.54

$2.03 MX$37.54

51.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 SEK 44.41

$2.21 MX$40.92

102.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$2.02 MX$37.41

-12.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.70

$1.82 MX$33.67

-1.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 SEK 23.76

$1.52 MX$28.07

57.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 SEK 23.50

$1.28 MX$23.65

85.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 SEK 86.4

$5.27 MX$97.4

65.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.99 SEK 119

$16.12 MX$298

-25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 SEK 20.90

$1.95 MX$36.05

8.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 SEK 25.34

$4.25 MX$78.6

-39.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.34 SEK 42.96

$0.31 MX$5.82

1300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 SEK 1,063

$19.85 MX$367

440.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 SEK 56.9

$2.00 MX$36.93

187.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 SEK 14.58

$0.53 MX$9.86

177.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$57.1 SEK 566

$5.62 MX$104

916.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.86

$1.52 MX$28.07

18.42%

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

$32.4K SEK 321.2K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

54.11%

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

$33.6K SEK 332.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

33.39%

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

$249 SEK 2,469

$62.5 MX$1,155

298.72%

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

$21.60 SEK 214

$28.77 MX$532

-24.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 SEK 398

$34.45 MX$637

16.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.98 SEK 466

$57.1 MX$1,055

-17.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.15 SEK 378

$24.81 MX$458

53.77%

Cinema Ticket

$19.09 SEK 189

$6.67 MX$123

186.21%

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

$158 SEK 1,569

$431 MX$7,964

-63.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 162.0K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

39.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 SEK 1,104

$70.8 MX$1,308

57.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.0 SEK 584

$51.8 MX$958

13.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 SEK 1,364

$109 MX$2,011

26.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 SEK 1,847

$112 MX$2,076

65.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 SEK 16.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

57.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 SEK 10.7K

$665 MX$12.3K

62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 SEK 29.5K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

27.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,746 SEK 17.3K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

42.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.3K SEK 111.8K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

217.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,332 SEK 62.7K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

220.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,583 SEK 35.5K

$975 MX$18.0K

267.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

11.3

-70.18%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 41.9%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 38.4% $414

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$414 16.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 22.1% $91

Eating Out

Stockholm

$325 12.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 37.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$311 12.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 59.6% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$222 8.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 30.5% $68

Getting Around

Stockholm

$138 5.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 81.3% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$85 3.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 17.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,658 in Stockholm and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 268% 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: $100 in Stockholm vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

8 h behind Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Mexico City 9,590 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

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

Stockholm and Mexico City differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($2,574 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 268% higher in Stockholm, 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: $1,658 in Stockholm 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 440% less than in Stockholm. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $158 in Stockholm 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 $2,574 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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, Stockholm 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 64% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.