Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,682 in Cento versus $1,660 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,733 in Cento versus $2,565 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,783 in Cento versus $3,470 in Mexico City.

Living in Cento is roughly 1% more expensive than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cento 23% above, Mexico City 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.12 €18.38

$11.92 MX$205

77.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 €81.7

$51.6 MX$889

82.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 €10.47

$11.41 MX$197

5.43%

Cappuccino

$2.26 €1.97

$3.99 MX$68.8

-43.36%

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

$3.37 €2.94

$1.66 MX$28.57

103.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.45

$1.33 MX$22.84

24.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 €5.60

$3.47 MX$59.8

85.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 €5.05

$5.90 MX$102

-1.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.24

$1.88 MX$32.31

-24.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.43

$3.25 MX$56.0

-14.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.39

$2.16 MX$37.21

27.31%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.47

$2.90 MX$49.87

37.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.38 €16.86

$12.86 MX$221

50.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.83 €11.17

$10.05 MX$173

27.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €15.62

$15.86 MX$273

13.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 €1.98

$3.29 MX$56.7

-30.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.48

$2.01 MX$34.55

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.69

$2.20 MX$37.88

-11.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.27

$2.36 MX$40.57

10.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.37

$2.05 MX$35.38

-23.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 €1.22

$1.90 MX$32.75

-26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.48

$1.61 MX$27.64

5.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.49

$1.40 MX$24.05

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.99 €6.09

$5.46 MX$94.1

28.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 €7.07

$17.65 MX$304

-53.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.40

$2.06 MX$35.39

-22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.74

$4.68 MX$80.7

-57.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.49

$0.34 MX$5.83

405.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.48 €43.06

$20.81 MX$358

137.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.02

$2.10 MX$36.11

120.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.33

$0.56 MX$9.63

173.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.69 €24.97

$5.81 MX$100

393.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.85

$1.61 MX$27.65

32.30%

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

$36.9K €32.2K

$22.8K MX$393.3K

61.76%

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

$35.7K €31.1K

$26.8K MX$460.6K

33.37%

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

$225 €195

$65.2 MX$1,122

244.54%

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

$11.56 €10.06

$30.09 MX$518

-61.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.32 €24.64

$37.18 MX$640

-23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 €43.74

$59.8 MX$1,029

-15.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.02 €21.78

$26.55 MX$457

-5.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.37 €9.03

$7.04 MX$121

47.30%

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

$579 €504

$465 MX$8,001

24.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,588 €3,993

$13.3K MX$228.6K

-65.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 €84.1

$75.9 MX$1,307

27.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.52 €37.88

$56.0 MX$963

-22.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €89.5

$112 MX$1,926

-8.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 €135

$121 MX$2,075

28.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 €485

$1,103 MX$19.0K

-49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$465 €405

$721 MX$12.4K

-35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 €959

$2,530 MX$43.6K

-56.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$972 €846

$1,293 MX$22.3K

-24.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,122 €2,717

$3,991 MX$68.7K

-21.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,998 €1,739

$2,090 MX$36.0K

-4.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,812 €1,577

$1,037 MX$17.9K

74.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

11.3

-71.50%

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

Last update for Cento: September 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $557 in Cento and $1,103 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 75% 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: $94.0 in Cento vs $52.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $345, with Cento 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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Cento. 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 75% higher in Cento, 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: $557 in Cento versus $1,103 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 138% less than in Cento. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $579 in Cento versus $465 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,660 in Mexico City versus $1,682 in Cento, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Cento. 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 $1,660 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Cento. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.