Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens, OH and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,669 in Athens, OH, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens, OH outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Athens, OH
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Athens, OH Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Athens, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$1,669

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,669 in Athens, OH versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Athens, OH $1,669
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Athens, OH versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Athens, OH $2,495
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,320 in Athens, OH versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Athens, OH $3,320
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Athens, OH is roughly 6% 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: Athens, OH 23% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.74 $14.74

$11.02 MX$204

33.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.20 $49.20

$48.68 MX$900

1.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 $10.18

$10.90 MX$201

-6.61%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$3.68 MX$68.1

35.33%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.63 MX$30.18

38.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.25 MX$23.07

12.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.25 MX$60.1

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$5.53 MX$102

27.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.70 MX$31.50

-59.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 $2.06

$3.02 MX$55.8

-31.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.92 MX$35.53

56.77%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$2.73 MX$50.5

55.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.64 $12.64

$11.77 MX$218

7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$9.53 MX$176

-9.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 $16.20

$14.41 MX$266

12.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.02 MX$55.8

19.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.89 MX$35.01

-49.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.99 MX$36.70

40.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.19 MX$40.38

35.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.92 MX$35.43

-11.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.87 MX$34.49

16.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.44 MX$26.62

15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.27 MX$23.39

51.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.09 $9.09

$5.22 MX$96.4

74.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$16.17 MX$299

-8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.90 MX$35.03

12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 $3.10

$4.22 MX$78.0

-26.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.00 MX$36.90

93.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.52 MX$9.67

144.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$5.34 MX$98.7

370.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.52 MX$28.13

-42.76%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

64.30%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

6.42%

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

$150 $150

$61.1 MX$1,129

145.13%

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

$29.86 $29.86

$28.58 MX$528

4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 $48.41

$34.47 MX$637

40.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$6.66 MX$123

77.93%

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

$1,476 $1,476

$427 MX$7,891

245.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K $19.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

67.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.08 $46.08

$67.8 MX$1,253

-32.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 $45.56

$52.0 MX$960

-12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$106 MX$1,959

-38.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 $108

$113 MX$2,080

-4.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$1,025 MX$18.9K

28.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 $701

$654 MX$12.1K

7.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 $1,471

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 $1,216

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-2.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 $1,644

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-54.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,650 $1,650

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-14.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,377 $3,377

$964 MX$17.8K

250.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.3

-41.68%

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

Last update for Athens, OH: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens, OH

$701 42%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 6.6% $46

Groceries & Markets

Athens, OH

$322 19.3%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 1.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Athens, OH

$262 15.7%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 22.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens, OH

$228 13.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 45.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Athens, OH

$119 7.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 27.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Athens, OH

$24 * 1.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 194% $46

Getting Around

Athens, OH

$14 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 79.6% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,313 in Athens, OH and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens, OH pays 246% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Athens, OH vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $323 per month, with Athens, OH cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Athens, OH

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

2 h behind Athens, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,452

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Athens, OH Mexico City 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens, OH
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

Athens, OH vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and utilities. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 246% higher in Athens, OH, 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: $1,313 in Athens, OH versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Athens, OH pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,669 per month in Athens, OH versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,669 in Athens, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Athens, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Athens, OH, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Athens, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.