Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
Learn more

Brussels Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Brussels $2,594
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Brussels $3,876
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Brussels $5,157
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Brussels is roughly 66% 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: Brussels 92% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$10.75 MX$199

105.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$50.3 MX$929

78.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$11.10 MX$205

35.77%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$3.68 MX$68.1

22.01%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$1.65 MX$30.42

122.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.30 MX$24.08

142.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$3.32 MX$61.3

70.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$5.54 MX$102

1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.77 MX$32.68

-23.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.05 MX$56.4

-9.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.01 MX$37.20

38.31%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$2.77 MX$51.1

88.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$11.91 MX$220

46.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$9.33 MX$172

43.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$15.02 MX$278

45.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$3.08 MX$56.8

-1.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.95 MX$35.97

24.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.03 MX$37.54

39.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.21 MX$40.92

84.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.02 MX$37.41

26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.82 MX$33.67

23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.52 MX$28.07

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.28 MX$23.65

-1.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$5.27 MX$97.4

151.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$16.12 MX$298

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.95 MX$36.05

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$4.25 MX$78.6

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$0.31 MX$5.82

809.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$19.85 MX$367

210.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.00 MX$36.93

45.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.53 MX$9.86

320.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$5.62 MX$104

620.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.52 MX$28.07

35.53%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

71.11%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

31.96%

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

$283 €252

$62.5 MX$1,155

353.45%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$28.77 MX$532

-23.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$34.45 MX$637

50.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$57.1 MX$1,055

-41.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$24.81 MX$458

11.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$6.67 MX$123

144.83%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$431 MX$7,964

264.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

212.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$70.8 MX$1,308

45.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$51.8 MX$958

-12.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$109 MX$2,011

0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$112 MX$2,076

30.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$1,051 MX$19.4K

25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$665 MX$12.3K

75.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$2,346 MX$43.3K

5.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,227 MX$22.7K

61.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$3,554 MX$65.7K

43.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$1,977 MX$36.5K

96.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$975 MX$18.0K

244.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

11.3

-67.17%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 43% $502

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 17.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 64.8% $231

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 40.8% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15% $27

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 70.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 6.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 244% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

8 h behind Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brussels Mexico City 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Brussels. 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 $50.0 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,567 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 66% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.