Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,346 in Belfast, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Belfast
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Belfast Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Belfast

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,346

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,346 in Belfast versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Belfast $2,346
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,435 in Belfast versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Belfast $3,435
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,524 in Belfast versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Belfast $4,524
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Belfast is roughly 46% 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: Belfast 72% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.29 £18.89

$10.62 MX$200

138.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 £68.4

$48.35 MX$909

89.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 £8.07

$10.35 MX$194

4.35%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.67

$3.69 MX$69.4

33.33%

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

$3.04 £2.27

$1.67 MX$31.32

82.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.27 MX$23.78

62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 £6.02

$3.19 MX$60.0

152.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.05 £6.01

$5.31 MX$99.7

51.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.72 MX$32.41

5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 £1.72

$3.04 MX$57.1

-24.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 £2.02

$1.94 MX$36.48

39.69%

Eggs

$4.62 £3.45

$2.89 MX$54.3

59.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 £7.99

$10.97 MX$206

-2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.04 £8.25

$9.25 MX$174

19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 £11.80

$15.13 MX$284

4.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.35

$3.05 MX$57.3

2.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.94 MX$36.48

3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.51

$2.03 MX$38.06

65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 £3.00

$2.31 MX$43.50

74.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 £1.70

$2.04 MX$38.25

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.80 MX$33.83

-11.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.48 MX$27.80

-8.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.27 MX$23.82

48.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.64

$5.30 MX$99.7

345.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 £9.27

$16.10 MX$303

-22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.04

$1.98 MX$37.27

37.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.31

$4.25 MX$79.9

-27.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 £2.36

$0.31 MX$5.73

919.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.0 £73.9

$19.73 MX$371

401.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 £3.39

$1.84 MX$34.53

146.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.53 MX$10.03

184.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.68 £14.70

$5.30 MX$99.5

271.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.51 MX$28.39

39.07%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

75.61%

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

$40.8K £30.4K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

69.91%

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

$272 £203

$63.0 MX$1,184

332.41%

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

$24.30 £18.15

$27.39 MX$515

-11.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.23 £34.54

$35.67 MX$670

29.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.92 £32.81

$58.9 MX$1,108

-25.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 £7.87

$23.64 MX$444

-55.41%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 £10.57

$6.40 MX$120

120.94%

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

$1,566 £1,170

$432 MX$8,111

262.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.3K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

56.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 £61.2

$68.2 MX$1,282

20.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 £34.82

$53.1 MX$999

-12.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.7

$108 MX$2,026

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.5

$117 MX$2,204

-11.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 £918

$1,113 MX$20.9K

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 £698

$710 MX$13.4K

31.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 £1,405

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-27.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 £1,041

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-0.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 £3,068

$3,631 MX$68.2K

13.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,541 £1,898

$2,135 MX$40.1K

19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,295 £2,462

$946 MX$17.8K

248.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

11.35

-56.74%

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

Last update for Belfast: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belfast

$935 39.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 24% $224

Eating Out

Belfast

$371 15.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 46.4% $172

Groceries & Markets

Belfast

$349 14.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 8.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfast

$343 14.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 63.2% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Belfast

$153 6.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.8% $2.8

Getting Around

Belfast

$124 5.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 79.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Belfast

$72 3.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 0.7% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Belfast and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $92 in Belfast vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Belfast

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

6 h behind Belfast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belfast Mexico City 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Belfast
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

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

Mexico City is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Belfast is about 3.5 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: $1,229 in Belfast versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,566 in Belfast versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Belfast, 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 31% less than in Belfast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.