Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Cambridge vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cambridge $3,191
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $4,509 per month in Cambridge vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cambridge $4,509
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $5,827 per month in Cambridge vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Cambridge $5,827
Mexico City $3,323

Cambridge costs about 106% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cambridge and Mexico City sit above the global median – Cambridge by 136%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.17

$11.02 MX$204

95.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.4

$48.68 MX$900

81.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$10.90 MX$201

-0.64%

Cappuccino

$4.49 £3.37

$3.68 MX$68.1

22.01%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$1.63 MX$30.18

71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.25 MX$23.07

50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 £5.93

$3.25 MX$60.1

143.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$5.53 MX$102

18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.70 MX$31.50

-3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$3.02 MX$55.8

-40.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$1.92 MX$35.53

29.69%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$2.73 MX$50.5

65.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.45

$11.77 MX$218

-15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.07

$9.53 MX$176

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.59

$14.41 MX$266

7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$3.02 MX$55.8

-2.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.89 MX$35.01

-8.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$1.99 MX$36.70

85.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.19 MX$40.38

54.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.92 MX$35.43

-4.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.87 MX$34.49

1.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.44 MX$26.62

-13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.27 MX$23.39

53.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.36 £16.77

$5.22 MX$96.4

328.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 £8.23

$16.17 MX$299

-32.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.90 MX$35.03

72.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.11

$4.22 MX$78.0

-1.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.34 MX$6.30

1097.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

$19.65 MX$363

383.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 £5.82

$2.00 MX$36.90

288.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$0.52 MX$9.67

419.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £38.18

$5.34 MX$98.7

853.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.52 MX$28.13

36.18%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

71.45%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

67.59%

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

$345 £258

$61.1 MX$1,129

464.11%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$28.58 MX$528

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.78 £32.10

$34.47 MX$637

24.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 £49.09

$56.4 MX$1,042

16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

$24.88 MX$460

-17.08%

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 £12.86

$6.66 MX$123

157.51%

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

$2,590 £1,943

$427 MX$7,891

506.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

207.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$67.8 MX$1,253

33.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 £35.82

$52.0 MX$960

-8.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 £68.6

$106 MX$1,959

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.5

$113 MX$2,080

13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,587

$1,025 MX$18.9K

106.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 £1,302

$654 MX$12.1K

165.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 £2,396

$2,308 MX$42.7K

38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 £2,021

$1,242 MX$22.9K

116.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,107 £6,832

$3,613 MX$66.8K

152.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

$1,936 MX$35.8K

199.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,405 £3,305

$964 MX$17.8K

356.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

11.3

-55.40%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 62.3% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$406 12.7%

Mexico City

$124 8% 69.4% $282

Eating Out

Cambridge

$330 10.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 38.2% $126

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 10.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 2.7% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 5.2% $8.3

Getting Around

Cambridge

$133 4.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 80.7% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$100 3.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 30.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,115 in Cambridge versus $1,025 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 357% higher in Cambridge, 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 $88.0 in Cambridge versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

06:32 6:32 AM

7 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambridge Mexico City 8,920 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

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

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Cambridge and $2,322 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,191 in Cambridge and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 106%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Cambridge at $3,191. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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