Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Appleton, WI and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,114 in Appleton, WI, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Appleton, WI
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Appleton, WI Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Appleton, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,114

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Appleton, WI vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Appleton, WI $2,114
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $3,257 per month in Appleton, WI vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Appleton, WI $3,257
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $4,400 per month in Appleton, WI vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Appleton, WI $4,400
Mexico City $3,333

Appleton, WI costs about 35% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Appleton, WI and Mexico City sit above the global median – Appleton, WI by 57%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$10.75 MX$199

69.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.1 $65.1

$50.3 MX$929

29.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 $11.10

$11.10 MX$205

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.68 MX$68.1

45.92%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.65 MX$30.42

56.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.30 MX$24.08

77.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.32 MX$61.3

38.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$5.54 MX$102

9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.77 MX$32.68

-41.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.05 MX$56.4

0.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$2.01 MX$37.20

155.22%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$2.77 MX$51.1

63.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.18 $14.18

$11.91 MX$220

19.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$9.33 MX$172

-10.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 $15.52

$15.02 MX$278

3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.08 MX$56.8

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.95 MX$35.97

-31.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.03 MX$37.54

54.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.21 MX$40.92

97.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.02 MX$37.41

5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.82 MX$33.67

44.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.52 MX$28.07

45.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.28 MX$23.65

145.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.94 $10.94

$5.27 MX$97.4

107.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$16.12 MX$298

-7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.95 MX$36.05

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$4.25 MX$78.6

-21.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.00 MX$36.93

61.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.53 MX$9.86

162.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$5.62 MX$104

332.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.52 MX$28.07

-35.53%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

68.53%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

1.00%

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

$174 $174

$62.5 MX$1,155

178.78%

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

$44.20 $44.20

$28.77 MX$532

53.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.6 $61.6

$34.45 MX$637

78.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.46 $23.46

$57.1 MX$1,055

-58.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.62 $39.62

$24.81 MX$458

59.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$6.67 MX$123

118.14%

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

$1,508 $1,508

$431 MX$7,964

250.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K $31.4K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

167.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.23 $39.23

$70.8 MX$1,308

-44.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.89 $24.89

$51.8 MX$958

-51.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.0 $50.0

$109 MX$2,011

-54.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$112 MX$2,076

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 $1,524

$1,051 MX$19.4K

44.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 $992

$665 MX$12.3K

49.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-23.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 $1,897

$1,227 MX$22.7K

54.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,257 $2,257

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-36.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,278 $2,278

$1,977 MX$36.5K

15.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,999 $3,999

$975 MX$18.0K

310.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.3

-43.63%

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

Last update for Appleton, WI: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Appleton, WI

$992 46.9%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 32.9% $327

Groceries & Markets

Appleton, WI

$380 18%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 15.1% $58

Eating Out

Appleton, WI

$298 14.1%

Mexico City

$203 13% 31.9% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Appleton, WI

$280 13.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 55.1% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Appleton, WI

$101 4.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 52.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Appleton, WI

$53 2.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 34% $18

Getting Around

Appleton, WI

$10 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 154% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,524 in Appleton, WI versus $1,051 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 310% higher in Appleton, WI, 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 $65.0 in Appleton, WI versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $323 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Appleton, WI

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind Appleton, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,139

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Appleton, WI Mexico City 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Appleton, WI
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

Appleton, WI vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Appleton, WI is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,170 per month in Appleton, WI and $2,351 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Appleton, WI and $50.0 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Appleton, WI, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Appleton, WI at $2,114. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Appleton, WI 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Appleton, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.