Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajijic and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ajijic: $1,327 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Ajijic
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Ajijic Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Ajijic vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ajijic $1,327
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,083 per month in Ajijic vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ajijic $2,083
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,840 per month in Ajijic vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ajijic $2,840
Mexico City $3,490

Ajijic is about 17% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ajijic sits 3% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.36 MX$175

$10.62 MX$198

-11.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.80 MX$798

$48.35 MX$901

-11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.89 MX$128

$10.35 MX$193

-33.43%

Cappuccino

$3.53 MX$65.9

$3.69 MX$68.8

-4.34%

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

$1.58 MX$29.39

$1.67 MX$31.07

-5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.60

$1.27 MX$23.59

-8.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 MX$40.70

$3.19 MX$59.5

-31.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 MX$61.3

$5.31 MX$98.9

-38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.63

$1.72 MX$32.15

-16.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 MX$40.67

$3.04 MX$56.7

-28.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 MX$20.41

$1.94 MX$36.19

-43.81%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.90

$2.89 MX$53.8

-22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 MX$148

$10.97 MX$205

-27.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.19 MX$153

$9.25 MX$172

-11.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 MX$132

$15.13 MX$282

-53.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.47

$3.05 MX$56.8

-28.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 MX$24.31

$1.94 MX$36.19

-32.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.42

$2.03 MX$37.75

-25.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.26

$2.31 MX$43.15

-27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$2.04 MX$37.94

-25.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.84

$1.80 MX$33.55

-22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 MX$19.03

$1.48 MX$27.58

-31.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 MX$16.39

$1.27 MX$23.63

-30.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 MX$82.6

$5.30 MX$98.9

-16.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.58 MX$160

$16.10 MX$300

-46.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 MX$27.97

$1.98 MX$36.97

-24.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.17

$4.25 MX$79.3

-69.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.60

$0.31 MX$5.69

119.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 MX$1,079

$19.73 MX$368

193.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MX$23.14

$1.84 MX$34.25

-32.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.23 MX$78.8

$0.53 MX$9.94

698.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.75 MX$200

$5.30 MX$98.7

102.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.51

$1.51 MX$28.16

-1.99%

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

$24.6K MX$459.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

13.29%

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

$23.6K MX$440.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-1.43%

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

$55.2 MX$1,030

$63.0 MX$1,174

-12.29%

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

$14.17 MX$264

$27.39 MX$511

-48.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.59 MX$458

$35.67 MX$665

-31.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.01 MX$448

$58.9 MX$1,099

-59.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 MX$98.2

$23.64 MX$441

-77.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.77 MX$88.9

$6.40 MX$119

-25.47%

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

$211 MX$3,935

$432 MX$8,045

-51.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,800 MX$52.2K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-75.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.69 MX$796

$68.2 MX$1,272

-37.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.24 MX$303

$53.1 MX$990

-69.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 MX$1,238

$108 MX$2,009

-38.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 MX$1,296

$117 MX$2,186

-40.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 MX$15.7K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$12.0K

$710 MX$13.2K

-9.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 MX$28.1K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-41.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 MX$23.3K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-11.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,324 MX$62.0K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-8.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,782 MX$33.2K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-16.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 MX$10.2K

$946 MX$17.6K

-42.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.2

11.35

-1.32%

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

Last update for Ajijic: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ajijic

$644 48.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 10.3% $66

Groceries & Markets

Ajijic

$218 16.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 46.7% $102

Eating Out

Ajijic

$166 12.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 19.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajijic

$94 7.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 34.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ajijic

$88 6.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 77.7% $68

Getting Around

Ajijic

$83 6.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 69.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Ajijic

$34 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 114% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Ajijic 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 run about 73% higher in Mexico City. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ajijic versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $320 – making Ajijic the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ajijic

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

Same time as Ajijic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,439

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Ajijic 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 Ajijic, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $844 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Ajijic and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Ajijic about 17% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ajijic, where all-in costs run around $1,327, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Ajijic it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ajijic – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ajijic. 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.