Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colima and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Colima versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Colima $941
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,533 in Colima versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Colima $1,533
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Colima versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Colima $2,125
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Colima costs roughly 41% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colima is 31% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.36 MX$138

$10.62 MX$199

-30.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.08 MX$602

$48.35 MX$908

-33.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 MX$134

$10.35 MX$194

-30.92%

Cappuccino

$2.09 MX$39.23

$3.69 MX$69.3

-43.36%

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

$0.97 MX$18.25

$1.67 MX$31.29

-41.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.52

$1.27 MX$23.76

-34.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 MX$41.26

$3.19 MX$59.9

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$46.62

$5.31 MX$99.6

-53.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.33

$1.72 MX$32.38

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.64

$3.04 MX$57.1

-16.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MX$21.37

$1.94 MX$36.44

-41.24%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.0

$2.89 MX$54.2

-4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 MX$154

$10.97 MX$206

-25.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 MX$156

$9.25 MX$174

-10.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 MX$182

$15.13 MX$284

-35.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 MX$52.6

$3.05 MX$57.2

-8.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 MX$25.42

$1.94 MX$36.45

-30.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.65

$2.03 MX$38.02

-16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.79

$2.31 MX$43.46

-8.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 MX$43.04

$2.04 MX$38.21

12.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$42.59

$1.80 MX$33.79

26.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 MX$27.52

$1.48 MX$27.77

-0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$20.89

$1.27 MX$23.80

-12.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 MX$70.1

$5.30 MX$99.6

-29.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 MX$119

$16.10 MX$302

-60.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 MX$27.96

$1.98 MX$37.23

-24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 MX$32.53

$4.25 MX$79.8

-59.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.70

$0.31 MX$5.73

119.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.57 MX$367

$19.73 MX$371

-0.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 MX$46.74

$1.84 MX$34.50

35.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 MX$52.0

$0.53 MX$10.02

422.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.16 MX$172

$5.30 MX$99.4

72.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$1.51 MX$28.36

-8.61%

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

$22.1K MX$415.8K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

1.81%

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

$22.0K MX$412.4K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-8.42%

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

$65.5 MX$1,229

$63.0 MX$1,182

3.94%

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

$19.85 MX$373

$27.39 MX$514

-27.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MX$537

$35.67 MX$670

-19.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MX$650

$58.9 MX$1,107

-41.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$402

$23.64 MX$444

-9.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$88.0

$6.40 MX$120

-26.88%

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

$141 MX$2,652

$432 MX$8,103

-67.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,527 MX$47.4K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-77.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.57 MX$837

$68.2 MX$1,281

-34.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.99 MX$469

$53.1 MX$997

-52.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 MX$1,376

$108 MX$2,023

-31.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.0 MX$1,840

$117 MX$2,202

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$257 MX$4,825

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-76.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 MX$4,931

$710 MX$13.3K

-63.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 MX$6,926

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-85.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 MX$10.8K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-59.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 MX$5,261

$946 MX$17.8K

-70.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.35

-0.44%

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

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colima

$263 27.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 171% $448

Groceries & Markets

Colima

$245 26%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 30.4% $75

Eating Out

Colima

$129 13.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 54.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colima

$114 12.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 10.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Colima

$108 11.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 43.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Colima

$44 4.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 63% $28

Getting Around

Colima

$39 4.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 34% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $257 in Colima and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Colima vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $320 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

Same time as Colima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

146,965

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $941 in Colima and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Colima is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Colima. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $257 in Colima versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $141 in Colima versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colima – a meal for two runs $32 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Colima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colima wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.