Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arusha $549
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arusha $888
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Mexico City $3,333

Arusha is about 65% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$10.75 MX$199

-69.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

$50.3 MX$929

-45.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$11.10 MX$205

-17.84%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,443

$3.68 MX$68.1

-53.80%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$1.65 MX$30.42

-44.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 851

$1.30 MX$24.08

-75.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,653

$3.32 MX$61.3

-69.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,336

$5.54 MX$102

-49.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,522

$1.77 MX$32.68

-45.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,798

$3.05 MX$56.4

-77.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,554

$2.01 MX$37.20

-13.43%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,573

$2.77 MX$51.1

-36.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,802

$3.08 MX$56.8

-27.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$2.21 MX$40.92

-65.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,272

$2.02 MX$37.41

-75.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$1.82 MX$33.67

-43.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,229

$1.28 MX$23.65

-33.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,015

$5.27 MX$97.4

-70.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,444

$1.95 MX$36.05

-52.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,417

$4.25 MX$78.6

-78.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 503

$0.31 MX$5.82

-38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

$5.62 MX$104

35.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,259

$1.52 MX$28.07

-18.42%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

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

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

$62.5 MX$1,155

-54.22%

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

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

$28.77 MX$532

-70.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

$34.45 MX$637

35.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

$57.1 MX$1,055

14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$6.67 MX$123

-29.69%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-34.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 747.5K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-72.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 611.7K

$665 MX$12.3K

-64.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-79.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-57.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 185% $431

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 126% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 50% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.8% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 392% $257

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 3248% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $66.0 vs $323 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

9 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Mexico City 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 186% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha 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 Arusha, 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 $27.00 in Arusha and $50.0 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 186%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $549 in Arusha to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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