Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abuja and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $991 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Abuja versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Abuja $991
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,872 in Abuja versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Abuja $1,872
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,753 in Abuja versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Abuja $2,753
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Abuja costs roughly 38% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abuja is 27% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₦2,611

$10.62 MX$199

-81.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.33 ₦40.8K

$48.35 MX$908

-37.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₦5,483

$10.35 MX$194

-60.58%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ₦4,415

$3.69 MX$69.3

-11.11%

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

$0.43 ₦575

$1.67 MX$31.29

-74.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₦959

$1.27 MX$23.76

-44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,306

$3.19 MX$59.9

-69.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₦2,656

$5.31 MX$99.6

-62.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 ₦4,830

$1.72 MX$32.38

108.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 ₦1,737

$3.04 MX$57.1

-57.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 ₦3,058

$1.94 MX$36.44

17.01%

Eggs

$1.81 ₦2,428

$2.89 MX$54.2

-37.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₦14.9K

$10.97 MX$206

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 ₦7,189

$9.25 MX$174

-42.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.82 ₦7,822

$15.13 MX$284

-61.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₦2,785

$3.05 MX$57.2

-32.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦2,013

$1.94 MX$36.45

-22.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,046

$2.03 MX$38.02

-25.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₦3,078

$2.31 MX$43.46

-0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₦2,401

$2.04 MX$38.21

-12.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 ₦3,335

$1.80 MX$33.79

37.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₦797

$1.48 MX$27.77

-60.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦528

$1.27 MX$23.80

-69.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 ₦2,633

$5.30 MX$99.6

-63.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₦7,845

$16.10 MX$302

-63.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₦1,610

$1.98 MX$37.23

-39.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₦2,492

$4.25 MX$79.8

-56.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₦622

$0.31 MX$5.73

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.58 ₦43.8K

$19.73 MX$371

65.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₦826

$1.84 MX$34.50

-66.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₦1,090

$0.53 MX$10.02

52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,482

$5.30 MX$99.4

-65.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 ₦768

$1.51 MX$28.36

-62.25%

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

$26.1K ₦35.1M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

20.03%

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

$37.3K ₦50.2M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

55.60%

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

$110 ₦148.3K

$63.0 MX$1,182

75.07%

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

$6.48 ₦8,717

$27.39 MX$514

-76.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.14 ₦39.2K

$35.67 MX$670

-18.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 ₦34.6K

$58.9 MX$1,107

-56.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.62 ₦12.9K

$23.64 MX$444

-59.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.31 ₦8,485

$6.40 MX$120

-1.41%

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

$44.68 ₦60.1K

$432 MX$8,103

-89.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,103 ₦4.2M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-72.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 ₦35.0K

$68.2 MX$1,281

-61.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 ₦81.7K

$53.1 MX$997

14.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 ₦102.9K

$108 MX$2,023

-28.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ₦141.8K

$117 MX$2,202

-10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₦792.6K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-47.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ₦467.4K

$710 MX$13.3K

-51.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 ₦1.9M

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-45.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 ₦1.8M

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-4.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$699 ₦940.4K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-80.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$378 ₦508.7K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-82.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$162 ₦218.3K

$946 MX$17.8K

-82.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

11.35

98.24%

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

Last update for Abuja: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abuja

$348 35.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 104% $363

Groceries & Markets

Abuja

$218 22%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 46.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abuja

$146 14.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 13.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Abuja

$121 12.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 28.9% $35

Eating Out

Abuja

$81 8.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 147% $118

Getting Around

Abuja

$39 4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 34.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Abuja

$38 3.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 87% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Abuja and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Abuja vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $320 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Abuja

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

7 h behind Abuja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

776,298 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Abuja Mexico City 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Abuja
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $991 in Abuja and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Abuja is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Abuja. 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: $589 in Abuja versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $991 per month in Abuja versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Abuja is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 39% less than in Abuja. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $991 in Abuja versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja 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.

It comes down to priorities – Abuja wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.