Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aktau and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktau: $790 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Aktau
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Aktau Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Aktau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$790

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $790 per month in Aktau vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Aktau $790
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,315 per month in Aktau vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Aktau $1,315
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,840 per month in Aktau vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Aktau $1,840
Mexico City $3,490

Aktau is about 51% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Aktau sits 42% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.03 ₸5,023

$10.62 MX$198

3.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 ₸19.8K

$48.35 MX$901

-9.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 ₸4,511

$10.35 MX$193

-4.35%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ₸1,182

$3.69 MX$68.7

-29.81%

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

$0.79 ₸358

$1.67 MX$31.05

-52.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₸223

$1.27 MX$23.58

-61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₸623

$3.19 MX$59.5

-57.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₸723

$5.31 MX$98.9

-70.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ₸672

$1.72 MX$32.13

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₸229

$3.04 MX$56.6

-83.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ₸864

$1.94 MX$36.17

-2.06%

Eggs

$1.69 ₸771

$2.89 MX$53.8

-41.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 ₸4,562

$10.97 MX$204

-8.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ₸1,893

$9.25 MX$172

-55.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 ₸3,909

$15.13 MX$282

-43.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 ₸696

$3.05 MX$56.8

-49.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 ₸1,059

$1.94 MX$36.17

19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₸1,068

$2.03 MX$37.73

15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 ₸1,268

$2.31 MX$43.12

20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₸303

$2.04 MX$37.91

-67.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₸261

$1.80 MX$33.53

-68.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ₸676

$1.48 MX$27.56

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₸414

$1.27 MX$23.62

-28.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.59 ₸1,181

$5.30 MX$98.8

-51.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 ₸4,267

$16.10 MX$300

-41.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₸356

$1.98 MX$36.95

-60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₸418

$4.25 MX$79.2

-78.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₸70.7

$0.31 MX$5.68

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ₸498

$1.84 MX$34.23

-40.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₸292

$0.53 MX$9.94

20.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 ₸302

$1.51 MX$28.14

-56.29%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

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

$31.4K ₸14.3M

$24.0K MX$446.9K

30.95%

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

$45.62 ₸20.8K

$63.0 MX$1,173

-27.56%

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

$8.07 ₸3,678

$27.39 MX$510

-70.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.70 ₸4,872

$35.67 MX$664

-70.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.05 ₸16.4K

$58.9 MX$1,098

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 ₸1,379

$6.40 MX$119

-52.66%

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

$146 ₸66.5K

$432 MX$8,041

-66.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,678 ₸1.2M

$11.4K MX$212.8K

-76.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 ₸30.7K

$68.2 MX$1,271

-1.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 ₸18.1K

$53.1 MX$990

-25.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₸32.6K

$108 MX$2,008

-33.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 ₸40.6K

$117 MX$2,185

-23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 ₸149.6K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-70.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ₸88.1K

$710 MX$13.2K

-72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₸247.7K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-78.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ₸179.0K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-72.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 ₸367.3K

$3,631 MX$67.6K

-77.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$657 ₸299.1K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-69.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 ₸251.9K

$946 MX$17.6K

-41.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

23.35%

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

Last update for Aktau: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aktau

$200 25.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 59.7% $119

Accommodation & Living

Aktau

$193 24.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 267% $517

Eating Out

Aktau

$164 20.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 21% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Aktau

$121 15.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 29.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aktau

$64 8.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 95.7% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Aktau

$42 5.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 70.4% $30

Getting Around

Aktau

$4.9 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 418% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $328 in Aktau 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 71% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $320 – making Aktau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Aktau

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

02:35 2:35 AM

11 h behind Aktau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

273,830

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 456 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aktau Mexico City 12,380 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Aktau
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

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

Mexico City costs about 104% more than Aktau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,185 per month in Aktau 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 Aktau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $328 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Aktau 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 60% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Aktau – 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 Aktau. 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.