Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boise, ID and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,610 in Boise, ID, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Boise, ID
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Boise, ID Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Boise, ID

🇺🇸 United States

$2,610

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Boise, ID vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Boise, ID $2,610
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $3,672 per month in Boise, ID vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Boise, ID $3,672
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $4,735 per month in Boise, ID vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Boise, ID $4,735
Mexico City $3,333

Boise, ID costs about 66% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Boise, ID and Mexico City sit above the global median – Boise, ID by 93%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.78 $19.78

$10.75 MX$199

84.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 $71.3

$50.3 MX$929

41.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$11.10 MX$205

17.75%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.68 MX$68.1

65.22%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.65 MX$30.42

64.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.30 MX$24.08

52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$3.32 MX$61.3

108.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 $6.59

$5.54 MX$102

18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.77 MX$32.68

-44.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.05 MX$56.4

22.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.01 MX$37.20

204.48%

Eggs

$4.42 $4.42

$2.77 MX$51.1

59.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.09 $16.09

$11.91 MX$220

35.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.12 $11.12

$9.33 MX$172

19.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.27 $17.27

$15.02 MX$278

14.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.08 MX$56.8

61.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.95 MX$35.97

-9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.03 MX$37.54

98.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.21 MX$40.92

117.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.02 MX$37.41

42.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.82 MX$33.67

41.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.52 MX$28.07

51.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.28 MX$23.65

89.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 $9.10

$5.27 MX$97.4

72.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$16.12 MX$298

-1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.95 MX$36.05

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.25 MX$78.6

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.31 MX$5.82

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.35 $41.35

$19.85 MX$367

108.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.00 MX$36.93

29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.53 MX$9.86

177.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.87 $23.87

$5.62 MX$104

324.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.52 MX$28.07

-23.68%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

74.01%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-0.56%

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

$176 $176

$62.5 MX$1,155

181.87%

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

$56.1 $56.1

$28.77 MX$532

94.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$34.45 MX$637

118.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.55 $39.55

$57.1 MX$1,055

-30.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.29 $37.29

$24.81 MX$458

50.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$6.67 MX$123

88.91%

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

$959 $959

$431 MX$7,964

122.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

105.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$70.8 MX$1,308

-25.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.26 $41.26

$51.8 MX$958

-20.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$109 MX$2,011

-17.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$112 MX$2,076

-1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 $1,613

$1,051 MX$19.4K

53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$665 MX$12.3K

93.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$2,346 MX$43.3K

6.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$1,227 MX$22.7K

46.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 $7,339

$3,554 MX$65.7K

106.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,126 $3,126

$1,977 MX$36.5K

58.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,233 $4,233

$975 MX$18.0K

334.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

11.3

-40.88%

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

Last update for Boise, ID: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boise, ID

$1.3K 49.4%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 48.4% $624

Groceries & Markets

Boise, ID

$422 16.2%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 23.5% $99

Eating Out

Boise, ID

$337 12.9%

Mexico City

$203 13% 39.8% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boise, ID

$307 11.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 59.1% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Boise, ID

$133 5.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 16.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Boise, ID

$65 2.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 8.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Boise, ID

$57 2.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 55% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,613 in Boise, ID versus $1,051 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 run about 334% higher in Boise, ID, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Boise, ID versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $323 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Boise, ID

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

Same time as Boise, ID

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

235,684

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Boise, ID Mexico City 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Boise, ID
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

Boise, ID vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boise, ID costs about 66% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,914 per month in Boise, ID and $2,351 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $959 per month in Boise, ID and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Boise, ID, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Boise, ID at $2,610. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Boise, ID it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,567 versus $2,610 in Boise, ID. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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