Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,030 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,030

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,030 per month in Adama vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Adama $1,030
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Adama vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Adama $1,702
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,374 per month in Adama vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Adama $2,374
Mexico City $3,490

Adama is about 36% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Adama sits 24% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ETB 492

$10.62 MX$198

-71.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.00 ETB 6,924

$48.35 MX$901

-11.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 ETB 801

$10.35 MX$193

-51.88%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ETB 144

$3.69 MX$68.7

-75.61%

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

$0.58 ETB 93.9

$1.67 MX$31.05

-65.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.5

$1.27 MX$23.58

-75.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 134

$3.19 MX$59.5

-73.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$5.31 MX$98.9

-56.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 ETB 124

$1.72 MX$32.13

-55.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$3.04 MX$56.6

-61.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ETB 354

$1.94 MX$36.17

13.40%

Eggs

$1.80 ETB 290

$2.89 MX$53.8

-37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 ETB 1,184

$10.97 MX$204

-33.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 ETB 1,625

$9.25 MX$172

9.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.40 ETB 1,514

$15.13 MX$282

-37.87%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 ETB 888

$3.05 MX$56.8

80.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.94 MX$36.17

-64.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 ETB 344

$2.03 MX$37.73

5.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 113

$2.31 MX$43.12

-69.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.9

$2.04 MX$37.91

-75.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.80 MX$33.53

-39.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.48 MX$27.56

-53.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$1.27 MX$23.62

-55.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.88 ETB 1,269

$5.30 MX$98.8

48.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 ETB 931

$16.10 MX$300

-64.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.98 MX$36.95

-64.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$4.25 MX$79.2

-69.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ETB 206

$1.84 MX$34.23

-30.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 42.90

$0.53 MX$9.94

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 327

$5.30 MX$98.7

-61.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 145

$1.51 MX$28.14

-40.40%

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

$55.8K ETB 9.0M

$21.8K MX$405.3K

156.28%

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

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

$24.0K MX$446.9K

130.75%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$63.0 MX$1,173

226.80%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,207

$27.39 MX$510

-72.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$215 ETB 34.6K

$35.67 MX$664

502.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 617

$6.40 MX$119

-40.16%

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

$611 ETB 98.3K

$432 MX$8,041

41.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$11.4K MX$212.8K

166.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.75 ETB 5,273

$68.2 MX$1,271

-51.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.3 ETB 11.6K

$53.1 MX$990

36.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ETB 12.9K

$108 MX$2,008

-25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 ETB 13.2K

$117 MX$2,185

-29.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ETB 56.7K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ETB 31.9K

$710 MX$13.2K

-72.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 ETB 157.8K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-62.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 ETB 131.2K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-42.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$98.7 ETB 15.9K

$946 MX$17.6K

-89.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

11.35

63.00%

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

Last update for Adama: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adama

$428 41.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 70.6% $302

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$211 20.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 51.6% $109

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$198 19.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 259% $512

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$120 11.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 29.6% $36

Eating Out

Adama

$63 6.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 218% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.7 * 0.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 835% $64

Getting Around

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 876% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Adama versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 9.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $320 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

20:13 8:13 PM

9 h behind Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Adama Mexico City 14,500 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,030 in Adama, $1,608 in Mexico City – Adama comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,545 per month in Adama and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Adama and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,030 in Adama and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,030 in Adama to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.