Cost of Living Comparison Between Canary Islands and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Canary Islands and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,564 in Canary Islands versus $1,456 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,243 in Canary Islands versus $2,361 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,923 in Canary Islands versus $3,266 in Mexico City.

Living in Canary Islands is roughly 7% more expensive than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canary Islands 17% above, Mexico City 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 €15.38

$13.07 MX$229

34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 €50.1

$53.8 MX$940

6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.09 €8.82

$9.68 MX$169

4.24%

Cappuccino

$1.76 €1.53

$3.74 MX$65.4

-52.94%

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

$1.83 €1.60

$1.62 MX$28.25

12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.94

$1.16 MX$20.31

-7.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 €2.50

$3.23 MX$56.4

-11.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 €2.77

$4.74 MX$82.9

-33.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.07

$1.65 MX$28.80

-26.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.49

$2.75 MX$48.15

-37.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.32

$1.87 MX$32.77

-18.72%

Eggs

$3.09 €2.70

$2.50 MX$43.72

23.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 €14.77

$10.20 MX$178

65.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.22

$8.25 MX$144

0.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 €12.41

$11.82 MX$207

20.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.17

$3.01 MX$52.6

-17.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.53

$1.81 MX$31.67

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.38

$2.00 MX$34.96

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.23

$2.00 MX$34.89

27.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 €1.40

$2.08 MX$36.45

-22.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 €1.49

$2.27 MX$39.72

-25.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.30

$1.46 MX$25.47

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.57

$1.08 MX$18.82

-39.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 €4.19

$4.35 MX$76.0

10.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 €7.08

$16.99 MX$297

-52.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.25

$1.73 MX$30.31

-17.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.56

$3.58 MX$62.5

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.44

$0.39 MX$6.77

320.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.16 €29.84

$18.69 MX$327

82.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 €3.32

$1.33 MX$23.18

185.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.12

$0.28 MX$4.89

357.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.56 €15.34

$5.25 MX$91.8

234.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.47

$1.34 MX$23.37

26.12%

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

$25.6K €22.4K

$19.4K MX$339.4K

31.96%

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

$29.6K €25.9K

$23.8K MX$416.7K

24.15%

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

$91.5 €80.0

$40.69 MX$712

124.92%

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

$21.62 €18.89

$26.87 MX$470

-19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.37 €26.53

$30.51 MX$534

-0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.21 €42.12

$52.8 MX$923

-8.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.09 €13.18

$26.65 MX$466

-43.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.65

$6.51 MX$114

52.07%

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

$354 €309

$428 MX$7,485

-17.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,217 €7,179

$10.5K MX$183.6K

-21.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.6 €60.0

$57.3 MX$1,001

19.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.69 €29.44

$45.50 MX$796

-25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €69.1

$104 MX$1,819

-23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.3 €61.4

$108 MX$1,885

-34.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,016

$1,003 MX$17.5K

15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 €604

$623 MX$10.9K

10.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 €1,973

$2,109 MX$36.9K

7.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 €695

$1,218 MX$21.3K

-34.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,885 MX$67.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 MX$35.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,432 €1,251

$1,038 MX$18.1K

37.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

11.34

-70.63%

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

Last update for Canary Islands: July 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,163 in Canary Islands and $1,003 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 38% 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: $57.0 in Canary Islands vs $54.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $273 vs $292, with Canary Islands cheaper for home cooking.

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

Canary Islands vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Canary Islands. 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 38% higher in Canary Islands, 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: $1,163 in Canary Islands versus $1,003 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Canary Islands pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $57.0 in Canary Islands. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,456 in Mexico City versus $1,564 in Canary Islands, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Canary Islands. 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 $1,456 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Canary Islands 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 7% less than in Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.