Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belize City and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize City: $1,234 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,234

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,234 in Belize City versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Belize City $1,234
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,795 in Belize City versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Belize City $1,795
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,356 in Belize City versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Belize City $2,356
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Belize City costs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belize City is 9% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.35 BZD 12.70

$10.59 MX$197

-40.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.23 BZD 98.5

$52.0 MX$964

-5.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 BZD 19.18

$10.73 MX$199

-10.62%

Cappuccino

$3.57 BZD 7.13

$3.80 MX$70.5

-6.05%

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

$1.65 BZD 3.30

$1.61 MX$29.93

2.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 BZD 2.93

$1.21 MX$22.49

20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 BZD 4.97

$3.18 MX$59.0

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 BZD 5.95

$5.44 MX$101

-45.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.64 BZD 7.28

$1.72 MX$31.88

111.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 BZD 5.32

$2.97 MX$55.1

-10.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 BZD 6.86

$1.93 MX$35.74

77.72%

Eggs

$3.66 BZD 7.31

$2.77 MX$51.5

32.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 BZD 13.33

$11.67 MX$217

-42.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 BZD 19.04

$9.48 MX$176

0.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.93 BZD 17.87

$15.37 MX$285

-41.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 BZD 5.44

$3.10 MX$57.6

-12.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 BZD 3.61

$1.96 MX$36.39

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 BZD 5.52

$1.98 MX$36.78

39.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 BZD 6.01

$2.34 MX$43.34

28.63%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 BZD 8.16

$2.02 MX$37.56

101.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 BZD 5.38

$1.82 MX$33.86

47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 BZD 4.67

$1.54 MX$28.66

51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 BZD 3.16

$1.31 MX$24.35

20.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 BZD 9.11

$5.35 MX$99.3

-14.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.64 BZD 19.28

$16.19 MX$300

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 BZD 4.97

$1.96 MX$36.36

27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 BZD 4.10

$4.35 MX$80.8

-52.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 BZD 8.19

$0.30 MX$5.66

1263.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BZD 10.20

$1.92 MX$35.58

165.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.77

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.58 BZD 5.16

$1.48 MX$27.53

74.32%

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

$10.7K BZD 21.4K

$21.4K MX$396.6K

-49.93%

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

$23.8K MX$440.9K

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

$378 BZD 757

$62.0 MX$1,151

510.32%

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

$48.70 BZD 97.4

$28.47 MX$528

71.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.90 BZD 53.8

$34.11 MX$633

-21.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.89 BZD 49.79

$58.4 MX$1,084

-57.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.43 BZD 4.87

$24.50 MX$455

-90.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 BZD 10.24

$6.59 MX$122

-22.31%

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

$63.9 BZD 128

$434 MX$8,059

-85.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$662 BZD 1,325

$14.0K MX$260.5K

-95.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.89 BZD 65.8

$68.4 MX$1,269

-51.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 BZD 50.1

$54.8 MX$1,017

-54.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.60 BZD 75.2

$111 MX$2,057

-66.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.98 BZD 76.0

$116 MX$2,153

-67.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 BZD 696

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-70.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 BZD 384

$771 MX$14.3K

-75.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 BZD 1,145

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 BZD 646

$1,420 MX$26.3K

-77.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$835 BZD 1,670

$1,003 MX$18.6K

-16.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.35

1.32%

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

Last update for Belize City: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belize City

$454 36.8%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 72.6% $329

Groceries & Markets

Belize City

$318 25.8%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 1.7% $5.6

Accommodation & Living

Belize City

$192 15.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 302% $579

Eating Out

Belize City

$153 12.4%

Mexico City

$201 12% 30.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Belize City

$60 4.9%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 162% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Belize City

$35 2.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 104% $36

Getting Around

Belize City

$21 * 1.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 16.4% $3.5

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 $348 in Belize City and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 20% 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 in Belize City vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $324 per month, with Belize City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇿 Belize City

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

Same time as Belize City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,999

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BZD (1 BZD = 0.445 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

USD to BZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belize City Mexico City 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Belize City
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

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

Belize City wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Belize City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Belize City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $348 in Belize City versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,234 per month in Belize City versus $1,674 in Mexico City – Belize City is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Belize City – a meal for two runs $49 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Belize City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Belize City wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.