Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala de Henares and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,909 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,909

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,909 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Alcala de Henares $1,909
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,723 in Alcala de Henares versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Alcala de Henares $2,723
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Alcala de Henares versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Alcala de Henares $3,537
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Alcala de Henares is roughly 19% 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: Alcala de Henares 40% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.95 €15.19

$10.62 MX$200

59.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.0

$48.35 MX$909

36.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.96

$10.35 MX$194

7.34%

Cappuccino

$2.66 €2.39

$3.69 MX$69.4

-27.91%

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

$3.22 €2.88

$1.67 MX$31.32

92.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.27 MX$23.78

53.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 €3.46

$3.19 MX$60.0

21.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 €4.37

$5.31 MX$99.7

-8.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.72 MX$32.41

-29.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 €1.40

$3.04 MX$57.1

-48.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.94 MX$36.48

-11.86%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.58

$2.89 MX$54.3

-0.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.52 €20.18

$10.97 MX$206

105.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.16 €8.21

$9.25 MX$174

-0.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.66 €15.82

$15.13 MX$284

16.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$3.05 MX$57.3

-8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.94 MX$36.48

22.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.03 MX$38.06

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.31 MX$43.50

12.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.04 MX$38.25

4.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.80 MX$33.83

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.48 MX$27.80

2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$1.27 MX$23.82

-40.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.06 €5.43

$5.30 MX$99.7

14.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.99

$16.10 MX$303

-51.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.98 MX$37.27

-40.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$4.25 MX$79.9

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.31 MX$5.73

374.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.73 €40.98

$19.73 MX$371

131.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 €3.32

$1.84 MX$34.53

101.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.53 MX$10.03

264.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.94 €20.56

$5.30 MX$99.5

332.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.51 MX$28.39

13.91%

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

$32.8K €29.4K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

50.78%

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

$30.6K €27.4K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

27.60%

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

$188 €169

$63.0 MX$1,184

198.98%

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

$19.42 €17.40

$27.39 MX$515

-29.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 €27.59

$35.67 MX$670

-13.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.53 €37.21

$58.9 MX$1,108

-29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 €7.41

$23.64 MX$444

-65.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.49 €8.50

$6.40 MX$120

48.28%

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

$182 €163

$432 MX$8,111

-57.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,892 €5,280

$11.4K MX$214.7K

-48.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.7 €66.0

$68.2 MX$1,282

8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 €32.15

$53.1 MX$999

-32.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 €69.1

$108 MX$2,026

-28.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 €85.7

$117 MX$2,204

-18.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 €881

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$854 €765

$710 MX$13.4K

20.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 €1,605

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-30.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 €1,036

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-17.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,266 €3,823

$3,631 MX$68.2K

17.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,423 €3,068

$2,135 MX$40.1K

60.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,741 €1,560

$946 MX$17.8K

83.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

11.35

-72.33%

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

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alcala de Henares

$854 44.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 16.8% $143

Groceries & Markets

Alcala de Henares

$314 16.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 1.8% $5.7

Eating Out

Alcala de Henares

$251 13.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 20.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 47.2% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 22.7% $29

Getting Around

Alcala de Henares

$65 3.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 60.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala de Henares

$61 3.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 18.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $983 in Alcala de Henares and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Alcala de Henares vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $320, with Alcala de Henares cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

19:10 7:10 PM

7 h behind Alcala de Henares

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,184

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Alcala de Henares Mexico City 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcala de Henares
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

Alcala de Henares vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,909 in Alcala de Henares and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Alcala de Henares, 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: $983 in Alcala de Henares versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Alcala de Henares versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $66 in Alcala de Henares. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Mexico City wins on affordability, Alcala de Henares on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.