Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ciudad del Carmen and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Carmen: $1,206 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
Learn more

Ciudad del Carmen Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,206

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,206 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Ciudad del Carmen $1,206
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,876 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Ciudad del Carmen $1,876
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,546 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Ciudad del Carmen $2,546
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Ciudad del Carmen costs roughly 28% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ciudad del Carmen is 11% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$10.59 MX$198

3.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.18 MX$808

$52.0 MX$972

-16.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 MX$159

$10.73 MX$201

-20.88%

Cappuccino

$3.41 MX$63.9

$3.80 MX$71.0

-10.26%

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

$1.32 MX$24.77

$1.61 MX$30.16

-18.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.65

$1.21 MX$22.67

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 MX$44.75

$3.18 MX$59.4

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 MX$75.0

$5.44 MX$102

-26.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.24

$1.72 MX$32.13

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$49.14

$2.97 MX$55.5

-11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.34

$1.93 MX$36.02

-12.95%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.27

$2.77 MX$51.9

-10.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$151

$11.67 MX$218

-30.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.30 MX$155

$9.48 MX$177

-12.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 MX$210

$15.37 MX$288

-26.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$49.67

$3.10 MX$58.1

-14.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.96 MX$36.67

-22.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.60

$1.98 MX$37.07

-4.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.39

$2.34 MX$43.68

-21.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.02 MX$37.85

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.96

$1.82 MX$34.13

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 MX$26.11

$1.54 MX$28.89

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.31 MX$24.54

-19.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$82.8

$5.35 MX$100

-17.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.31 MX$193

$16.19 MX$303

-36.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.33

$1.96 MX$36.64

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$4.35 MX$81.4

-26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.55

$0.30 MX$5.70

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.63 MX$573

$19.49 MX$365

57.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.49

$1.92 MX$35.86

34.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 MX$35.70

$0.47 MX$8.84

306.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 MX$198

$5.41 MX$101

95.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$1.48 MX$27.75

-4.05%

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

$24.1K MX$450.1K

$21.4K MX$399.7K

12.60%

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

$23.4K MX$437.8K

$23.8K MX$444.3K

-1.46%

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

$56.0 MX$1,048

$62.0 MX$1,160

-9.65%

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

$22.36 MX$418

$28.47 MX$533

-21.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.71 MX$537

$34.11 MX$638

-15.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.39 MX$606

$58.4 MX$1,092

-44.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.12 MX$376

$24.50 MX$458

-17.88%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 MX$94.0

$6.59 MX$123

-23.67%

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

$217 MX$4,062

$434 MX$8,122

-49.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,449 MX$83.2K

$14.0K MX$262.5K

-68.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 MX$993

$68.4 MX$1,278

-22.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.89 MX$746

$54.8 MX$1,025

-27.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 MX$1,849

$111 MX$2,073

-10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.9 MX$1,645

$116 MX$2,169

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 MX$11.0K

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-50.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 MX$8,252

$771 MX$14.4K

-42.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 MX$19.2K

$2,570 MX$48.1K

-60.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 MX$14.1K

$1,420 MX$26.6K

-46.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,863 MX$34.8K

$3,586 MX$67.1K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MX$20.7K

$2,064 MX$38.6K

-46.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.35

-0.35%

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

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ciudad del Carmen

$441 36.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 74.7% $330

Groceries & Markets

Ciudad del Carmen

$261 21.7%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 23.9% $62

Eating Out

Ciudad del Carmen

$183 15.2%

Mexico City

$201 12% 9.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ciudad del Carmen

$126 10.4%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 25.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ciudad del Carmen

$107 8.9%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 16.3% $18

Getting Around

Ciudad del Carmen

$45 3.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 44.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ciudad del Carmen

$42 3.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 68.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ciudad del Carmen and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Ciudad del Carmen vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $261 vs $324 per month, with Ciudad del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Ciudad del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,238

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ciudad del Carmen Mexico City 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ciudad del Carmen
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

Ciudad del Carmen vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,206 in Ciudad del Carmen and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Ciudad del Carmen is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,809 in Ciudad del Carmen and $2,510 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $1,179 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 36% less than in Ciudad del Carmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $217 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ciudad del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.