Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bismarck, ND and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,355 in Bismarck, ND, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Bismarck, ND
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Bismarck, ND Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Bismarck, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,355

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,355 in Bismarck, ND versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Bismarck, ND $2,355
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,453 in Bismarck, ND versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Bismarck, ND $3,453
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,551 in Bismarck, ND versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Bismarck, ND $4,551
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Bismarck, ND is roughly 41% 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: Bismarck, ND 74% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.75 $29.75

$10.59 MX$197

180.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.5 $69.5

$52.0 MX$967

33.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.29 $17.29

$10.73 MX$200

61.14%

Cappuccino

$6.16 $6.16

$3.80 MX$70.6

62.11%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.61 MX$30.01

61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.21 MX$22.55

48.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.18 MX$59.1

71.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$5.44 MX$101

27.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.72 MX$31.96

-41.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.97 MX$55.2

-12.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.93 MX$35.84

10.36%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.77 MX$51.6

-3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$11.67 MX$217

-32.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$9.48 MX$176

36.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$15.37 MX$286

5.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.10 MX$57.8

12.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.96 MX$36.49

-12.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.98 MX$36.88

57.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.34 MX$43.46

88.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.02 MX$37.66

-5.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.82 MX$33.95

45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.54 MX$28.74

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.31 MX$24.42

113.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.63 $8.63

$5.35 MX$99.6

61.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.29 $20.29

$16.19 MX$301

25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.96 MX$36.46

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 $3.93

$4.35 MX$81.0

-9.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.30 MX$5.67

410.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.49 $35.49

$19.49 MX$363

82.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.48 MX$27.61

-37.84%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

26.99%

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

$22.6K $22.6K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

-5.07%

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

$207 $207

$62.0 MX$1,154

234.28%

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

$73.9 $73.9

$28.47 MX$530

159.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.7 $83.7

$34.11 MX$635

145.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.94 $33.94

$58.4 MX$1,087

-41.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 $12.06

$6.59 MX$123

83.00%

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

$809 $809

$434 MX$8,081

86.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,125 $9,125

$14.0K MX$261.2K

-34.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 $66.3

$68.4 MX$1,272

-3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$111 MX$2,063

-14.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 $79.6

$116 MX$2,158

-31.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,010 $1,010

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 $995

$771 MX$14.3K

29.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 $1,526

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,631 $1,631

$1,420 MX$26.4K

14.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,440 $2,440

$3,586 MX$66.7K

-31.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,971 $1,971

$2,064 MX$38.4K

-4.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,378 $4,378

$1,003 MX$18.7K

336.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.35

-39.74%

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

Last update for Bismarck, ND: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bismarck, ND

$995 42.2%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 22.5% $224

Eating Out

Bismarck, ND

$423 17.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 52.5% $222

Groceries & Markets

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 11.4% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bismarck, ND

$365 15.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 65.9% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Bismarck, ND

$109 * 4.6%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 45.1% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bismarck, ND

$58 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 23.3% $14

Getting Around

Bismarck, ND

$42 * 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 39.9% $17

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 $1,010 in Bismarck, ND and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bismarck, ND pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Bismarck, ND vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bismarck, ND

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

Same time as Bismarck, ND

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,333

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bismarck, ND Mexico City 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bismarck, ND
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

Bismarck, ND vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,355 in Bismarck, ND and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bismarck, ND is about 4.4 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: $1,010 in Bismarck, ND versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Bismarck, ND. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $70 in Bismarck, ND. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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 – Mexico City wins on affordability, Bismarck, ND on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.