Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Apple Valley, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,760 in Apple Valley, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Apple Valley, CA
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Apple Valley, CA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Apple Valley, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,760

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,760 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Apple Valley, CA $2,760
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,642 in Apple Valley, CA versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Apple Valley, CA $3,642
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,524 in Apple Valley, CA versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Apple Valley, CA $4,524
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Apple Valley, CA is roughly 65% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Apple Valley, CA 104% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.16 $15.16

$10.59 MX$199

43.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 $35.64

$52.0 MX$978

-31.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$10.73 MX$202

-5.78%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$3.80 MX$71.4

34.74%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$1.61 MX$30.35

24.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.21 MX$22.81

24.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.18 MX$59.8

55.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 $5.71

$5.44 MX$102

4.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.72 MX$32.32

-47.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.97 MX$55.8

35.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.93 MX$36.24

51.30%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$2.77 MX$52.2

-27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 $13.92

$11.67 MX$220

19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.95 $13.95

$9.48 MX$178

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$15.37 MX$289

-18.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.10 MX$58.4

56.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.96 MX$36.90

13.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.98 MX$37.30

120.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.34 MX$43.95

113.25%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.02 MX$38.08

125.74%

Onion (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$1.82 MX$34.34

129.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.54 MX$29.06

40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.31 MX$24.70

76.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.14 $11.14

$5.35 MX$101

108.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 $13.75

$16.19 MX$305

-15.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.96 MX$36.87

-14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$4.35 MX$81.9

-39.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.30 MX$5.74

523.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$19.49 MX$367

207.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.92 MX$36.08

107.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.47 MX$8.90

276.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.27 $24.27

$5.41 MX$102

348.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.48 MX$27.92

-2.70%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

38.73%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

10.04%

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

$246 $246

$62.0 MX$1,167

297.40%

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

$81.9 $81.9

$28.47 MX$536

187.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$34.11 MX$642

91.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.81 $44.81

$58.4 MX$1,099

-23.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 $11.97

$6.59 MX$124

81.64%

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

$545 $545

$434 MX$8,172

25.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K $11.1K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.13 $31.13

$68.4 MX$1,286

-54.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 $34.84

$54.8 MX$1,031

-36.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.2 $73.2

$111 MX$2,086

-33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$116 MX$2,183

19.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 $1,456

$1,179 MX$22.2K

23.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 $1,431

$771 MX$14.5K

85.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,368 $2,368

$2,570 MX$48.4K

-7.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,849 $1,849

$1,420 MX$26.7K

30.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,535 $2,535

$3,586 MX$67.5K

-29.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,168 $2,168

$2,064 MX$38.8K

5.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,123 $4,123

$1,003 MX$18.9K

311.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.35

-41.15%

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

Last update for Apple Valley, CA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Apple Valley, CA

$1.4K 51.9%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 46.1% $660

Groceries & Markets

Apple Valley, CA

$398 14.4%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 18.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Apple Valley, CA

$394 14.3%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 68.3% $269

Eating Out

Apple Valley, CA

$263 9.5%

Mexico City

$201 12% 23.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Apple Valley, CA

$125 4.5%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 26.1% $33

Getting Around

Apple Valley, CA

$80 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 68.9% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Apple Valley, CA

$69 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 4.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,456 in Apple Valley, CA and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Apple Valley, CA pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Apple Valley, CA vs $52 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $398 vs $324, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Apple Valley, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

03:09 3:09 AM

2 h ahead of Apple Valley, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,109

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Apple Valley, CA Mexico City 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Apple Valley, CA
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

Apple Valley, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Apple Valley, CA is about 4.1 times higher, 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: $1,456 in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Apple Valley, CA – a meal for two runs $36 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,760 per month in Apple Valley, CA versus $1,674 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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, Apple Valley, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.