Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,517 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
Learn more

Amsterdam Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,517

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,517 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,517
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $5,063 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,063
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $6,608 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,608
Mexico City $3,490

Amsterdam costs about 119% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amsterdam and Mexico City sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 158%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €20.07

$10.62 MX$199

110.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.6

$48.35 MX$904

83.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 €13.30

$10.35 MX$193

43.00%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.18

$3.69 MX$69.0

26.02%

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

$3.69 €3.32

$1.67 MX$31.14

120.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.27 MX$23.65

128.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.12

$3.19 MX$59.7

148.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.87

$5.31 MX$99.2

23.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.72 MX$32.23

-16.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.15

$3.04 MX$56.8

-21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$1.94 MX$36.27

28.87%

Eggs

$5.15 €4.63

$2.89 MX$54.0

78.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.90 €15.19

$10.97 MX$205

54.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.44

$9.25 MX$173

37.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.55

$15.13 MX$283

51.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$3.05 MX$57.0

-9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.94 MX$36.27

41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.47

$2.03 MX$37.85

34.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.47

$2.31 MX$43.25

67.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.27

$2.04 MX$38.03

23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.80 MX$33.63

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.48 MX$27.64

2.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.27 MX$23.69

33.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €13.04

$5.30 MX$99.1

173.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 €7.73

$16.10 MX$301

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.98 MX$37.06

-10.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.25

$4.25 MX$79.5

-40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.32

$0.31 MX$5.70

1093.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 €105

$19.73 MX$369

490.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.21

$1.84 MX$34.34

154.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.08

$0.53 MX$9.97

545.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.00 €35.04

$5.30 MX$99.0

635.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.51 MX$28.23

69.54%

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

$40.6K €36.5K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

86.57%

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

$38.9K €34.9K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

62.12%

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

$306 €275

$63.0 MX$1,177

386.55%

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

$22.66 €20.36

$27.39 MX$512

-17.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.47

$35.67 MX$666

48.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €49.38

$58.9 MX$1,101

-6.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 €32.04

$23.64 MX$442

50.85%

Cinema Ticket

$16.48 €14.81

$6.40 MX$120

157.50%

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

$2,778 €2,496

$432 MX$8,065

543.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.2K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

48.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 €83.3

$68.2 MX$1,275

35.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €37.09

$53.1 MX$993

-22.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$108 MX$2,014

-5.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$117 MX$2,191

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 €2,374

$1,113 MX$20.8K

137.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 €1,787

$710 MX$13.3K

180.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,165 €3,742

$2,588 MX$48.4K

60.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,251 €2,921

$1,406 MX$26.3K

131.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,482

$3,631 MX$67.8K

190.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,734 €6,050

$2,135 MX$39.9K

215.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,625 €4,156

$946 MX$17.7K

388.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.35

-70.93%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: 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

Amsterdam

$2K 56.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 64.3% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$382 10.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 67% $256

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$381 10.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 16.1% $61

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$358 10.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 44.5% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$166 4.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 6.2% $10

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 83.4% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$88 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 18.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,642 in Amsterdam 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 Amsterdam are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Amsterdam versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

12:05 12:05 PM

7 h behind Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amsterdam Mexico City 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

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

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,276 per month in Amsterdam 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 Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,642 in Amsterdam.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,778 per month in Amsterdam and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Amsterdam at $3,517. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – 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 Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.