Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chihuahua and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,231 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
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Chihuahua Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,231

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Chihuahua vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,231
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,836 per month in Chihuahua vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chihuahua $1,836
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $2,440 per month in Chihuahua vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chihuahua $2,440
Mexico City $3,333

Chihuahua is about 21% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chihuahua sits 9% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 MX$204

$10.75 MX$199

2.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.07 MX$611

$50.3 MX$929

-34.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 MX$200

$11.10 MX$205

-2.70%

Cappuccino

$2.45 MX$45.27

$3.68 MX$68.1

-33.42%

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

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.65 MX$30.42

-24.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 MX$13.74

$1.30 MX$24.08

-43.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 MX$42.97

$3.32 MX$61.3

-29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 MX$73.8

$5.54 MX$102

-27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$1.77 MX$32.68

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 MX$58.9

$3.05 MX$56.4

4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.55

$2.01 MX$37.20

3.98%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$49.21

$2.77 MX$51.1

-3.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.30 MX$172

$11.91 MX$220

-21.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.77 MX$125

$9.33 MX$172

-27.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$236

$15.02 MX$278

-14.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 MX$46.40

$3.08 MX$56.8

-18.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 MX$28.65

$1.95 MX$35.97

-20.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.33

$2.03 MX$37.54

1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$2.21 MX$40.92

23.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 MX$44.11

$2.02 MX$37.41

18.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.46

$1.82 MX$33.67

47.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 MX$25.97

$1.52 MX$28.07

-7.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.51

$1.28 MX$23.65

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.1

$5.27 MX$97.4

-18.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 MX$195

$16.12 MX$298

-34.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.20

$1.95 MX$36.05

-21.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$52.9

$4.25 MX$78.6

-32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 MX$9.94

$0.31 MX$5.82

74.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.08 MX$611

$19.85 MX$367

66.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 MX$49.83

$2.00 MX$36.93

35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 MX$14.64

$0.53 MX$9.86

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 MX$185

$5.62 MX$104

78.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.17

$1.52 MX$28.07

-6.58%

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

$21.1K MX$389.1K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

0.11%

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

$24.6K MX$454.7K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-2.29%

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

$82.2 MX$1,520

$62.5 MX$1,155

31.61%

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

$21.30 MX$394

$28.77 MX$532

-25.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.93 MX$442

$34.45 MX$637

-30.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.58 MX$528

$57.1 MX$1,055

-49.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 MX$309

$24.81 MX$458

-32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 MX$89.0

$6.67 MX$123

-27.74%

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

$263 MX$4,858

$431 MX$7,964

-39.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,362 MX$62.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-71.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 MX$926

$70.8 MX$1,308

-29.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.18 MX$447

$51.8 MX$958

-53.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MX$1,858

$109 MX$2,011

-7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 MX$1,636

$112 MX$2,076

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.1K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 MX$8,315

$665 MX$12.3K

-32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 MX$20.2K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-53.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 MX$12.7K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-44.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,415 MX$63.1K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-3.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 MX$21.0K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-42.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$844 MX$15.6K

$975 MX$18.0K

-13.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.84

11.3

-4.07%

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

Last update for Chihuahua: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chihuahua

$450 36.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 47.8% $215

Groceries & Markets

Chihuahua

$278 22.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 16.2% $45

Eating Out

Chihuahua

$178 14.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 14.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chihuahua

$127 10.4%

Mexico City

$126 8% 1.4% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chihuahua

$119 9.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 30.5% $36

Getting Around

Chihuahua

$42 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 38.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chihuahua

$38 3.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 84.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $602 in Chihuahua 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 16% higher in Mexico City, 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 $33.00 in Chihuahua versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $323 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

Same time as Chihuahua

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

925,762

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chihuahua Mexico City 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chihuahua
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

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

Mexico City costs about 27% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Chihuahua 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 Chihuahua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Chihuahua 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 16% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chihuahua, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Chihuahua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chihuahua costs $1,231 versus $1,567 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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