Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethlehem, PA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
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Bethlehem, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,613

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,613 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $2,613
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,666 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $3,666
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,718 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $4,718
Mexico City $3,490

Bethlehem, PA costs about 63% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bethlehem, PA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Bethlehem, PA by 92%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 $18.20

$10.62 MX$197

71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 $49.94

$48.35 MX$898

3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.05 $13.05

$10.35 MX$192

26.09%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$3.69 MX$68.5

36.86%

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

$2.92 $2.92

$1.67 MX$30.95

74.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.27 MX$23.50

48.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 $5.21

$3.19 MX$59.3

63.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$5.31 MX$98.6

54.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.72 MX$32.03

-34.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.04 MX$56.5

33.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.94 MX$36.05

102.06%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$2.89 MX$53.6

48.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$10.97 MX$204

9.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 $16.27

$9.25 MX$172

75.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.33 $18.33

$15.13 MX$281

21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.05 MX$56.6

101.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.94 MX$36.05

-31.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.03 MX$37.61

107.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.31 MX$42.99

80.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.04 MX$37.79

5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.80 MX$33.43

45.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.48 MX$27.47

81.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.27 MX$23.54

48.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.78 $9.78

$5.30 MX$98.5

84.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.99 $17.99

$16.10 MX$299

11.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.98 MX$36.83

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.82 $6.82

$4.25 MX$79.0

60.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 $5.04

$1.84 MX$34.13

173.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.53 MX$9.91

458.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.65 $34.65

$5.30 MX$98.3

553.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 MX$28.05

-35.10%

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

$23.2K $23.2K

$21.8K MX$404.0K

6.58%

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

$24.0K $24.0K

$24.0K MX$445.4K

-0.04%

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

$207 $207

$63.0 MX$1,170

229.28%

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

$39.06 $39.06

$27.39 MX$509

42.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$35.67 MX$662

121.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.66 $36.66

$58.9 MX$1,095

-37.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$6.40 MX$119

131.72%

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

$985 $985

$432 MX$8,015

128.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$64.4K $64.4K

$11.4K MX$212.1K

463.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$68.2 MX$1,267

-20.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.28 $30.28

$53.1 MX$987

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.8 $65.8

$108 MX$2,002

-38.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 $84.9

$117 MX$2,178

-27.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$1,113 MX$20.7K

41.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 $1,352

$710 MX$13.2K

90.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,184 $2,184

$2,588 MX$48.1K

-15.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 $2,079

$1,406 MX$26.1K

47.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,187 $2,187

$3,631 MX$67.4K

-39.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,119 $2,119

$2,135 MX$39.6K

-0.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 $3,649

$946 MX$17.6K

285.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.35

-42.73%

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

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethlehem, PA

$1.4K 51.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 47.4% $641

Groceries & Markets

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 26.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethlehem, PA

$326 12.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 61.3% $199

Eating Out

Bethlehem, PA

$307 11.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 35.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Bethlehem, PA

$106 4.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 47.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bethlehem, PA

$66 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 8.2% $5.4

Getting Around

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 28.3% $5.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,573 in Bethlehem, PA versus $1,113 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.

Salaries in Bethlehem, PA are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h behind Bethlehem, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,624

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bethlehem, PA Mexico City 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bethlehem, PA
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

Bethlehem, PA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,919 per month in Bethlehem, PA and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,573 in Bethlehem, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Bethlehem, PA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,613 in Bethlehem, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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