Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,365 in Belfast versus $1,660 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,449 in Belfast versus $2,565 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,533 in Belfast versus $3,470 in Mexico City.

Living in Belfast is roughly 42% more expensive than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Belfast 73% above, Mexico City 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.31 £17.42

$11.92 MX$206

95.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.0 £73.2

$51.6 MX$890

89.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 £8.15

$11.41 MX$197

-4.47%

Cappuccino

$4.75 £3.55

$3.99 MX$68.9

19.05%

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

$2.80 £2.09

$1.66 MX$28.61

68.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.33 MX$22.87

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 £6.17

$3.47 MX$59.9

138.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 £5.88

$5.90 MX$102

33.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.88 MX$32.36

-0.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 £1.82

$3.25 MX$56.1

-25.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$2.16 MX$37.26

25.46%

Eggs

$4.58 £3.42

$2.90 MX$49.94

57.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 £8.30

$12.86 MX$222

-13.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 £8.37

$10.05 MX$173

11.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 £12.26

$15.86 MX$273

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 £2.49

$3.29 MX$56.8

1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.50

$2.01 MX$34.60

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 £2.54

$2.20 MX$37.93

54.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 £3.01

$2.36 MX$40.63

70.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 £1.74

$2.05 MX$35.43

13.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.90 MX$32.79

-17.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.61 MX$27.68

-12.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.40 MX$24.09

33.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.90 £17.86

$5.46 MX$94.2

337.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 £9.14

$17.65 MX$304

-30.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.09

$2.06 MX$35.44

35.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.34

$4.68 MX$80.8

-33.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 £2.30

$0.34 MX$5.84

802.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 £76.3

$20.81 MX$359

390.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 £3.57

$2.10 MX$36.15

127.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.56 MX$9.64

169.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.88 £14.86

$5.81 MX$100

242.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.61 MX$27.68

27.33%

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

$38.6K £28.9K

$22.8K MX$393.8K

69.12%

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

$42.2K £31.5K

$26.8K MX$461.2K

57.58%

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

$254 £190

$65.2 MX$1,124

289.25%

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

$24.85 £18.57

$30.09 MX$519

-17.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.43 £34.70

$37.18 MX$641

24.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.40 £36.17

$59.8 MX$1,030

-19.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 £8.06

$26.55 MX$458

-59.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 £10.98

$7.04 MX$121

108.81%

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

$1,407 £1,051

$465 MX$8,012

202.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.5K

$13.3K MX$228.9K

36.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 £61.7

$75.9 MX$1,308

8.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.49 £35.49

$56.0 MX$965

-15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.9

$112 MX$1,929

-4.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £77.9

$121 MX$2,078

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 £882

$1,103 MX$19.0K

7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 £706

$721 MX$12.4K

31.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 £1,451

$2,530 MX$43.6K

-23.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 £1,069

$1,293 MX$22.3K

10.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,268 £3,190

$3,991 MX$68.8K

6.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,566 £1,918

$2,090 MX$36.0K

22.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,291 £2,459

$1,037 MX$17.9K

217.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

11.3

-56.55%

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

Last update for Belfast: September 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,181 in Belfast and $1,103 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belfast pays 217% 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: $98.0 in Belfast vs $52.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $345 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 217% higher in Belfast, 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: $1,181 in Belfast versus $1,103 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,407 in Belfast versus $465 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Belfast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,660 in Mexico City versus $2,365 in Belfast, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Belfast. 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 Belfast, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Belfast and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Belfast. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.