Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,100 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,100

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,100 in College Station, TX versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

College Station, TX $2,100
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,153 in College Station, TX versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

College Station, TX $3,153
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,207 in College Station, TX versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

College Station, TX $4,207
Mexico City $3,323

Living in College Station, TX is roughly 36% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Station, TX 55% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$11.02 MX$204

35.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$48.68 MX$900

60.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 $12.08

$10.90 MX$201

10.83%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$3.68 MX$68.1

46.47%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.63 MX$30.18

81.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.25 MX$23.07

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$3.25 MX$60.1

54.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 $7.36

$5.53 MX$102

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.70 MX$31.50

-55.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.02 MX$55.8

4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$1.92 MX$35.53

97.40%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.73 MX$50.5

6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$11.77 MX$218

0.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$9.53 MX$176

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$14.41 MX$266

-10.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.02 MX$55.8

109.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.89 MX$35.01

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$1.99 MX$36.70

223.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.19 MX$40.38

125.57%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.92 MX$35.43

111.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.87 MX$34.49

59.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.44 MX$26.62

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.27 MX$23.39

41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 $9.89

$5.22 MX$96.4

89.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 $13.84

$16.17 MX$299

-14.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.90 MX$35.03

-10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$4.22 MX$78.0

-8.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.29 $20.29

$19.65 MX$363

3.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.00 MX$36.90

404.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.52 MX$9.67

265.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.1 $59.1

$5.34 MX$98.7

1007.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$28.13

-39.47%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

24.88%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.08%

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

$180 $180

$61.1 MX$1,129

195.32%

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

$40.02 $40.02

$28.58 MX$528

40.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 $55.4

$34.47 MX$637

60.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.85 $24.85

$56.4 MX$1,042

-55.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 $17.24

$24.88 MX$460

-30.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 $11.16

$6.66 MX$123

67.57%

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

$761 $761

$427 MX$7,891

78.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K $18.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

55.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$67.8 MX$1,253

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.19 $38.19

$52.0 MX$960

-26.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 $82.8

$106 MX$1,959

-21.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$113 MX$2,080

8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$1,025 MX$18.9K

10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$654 MX$12.1K

44.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 $1,585

$1,242 MX$22.9K

27.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,185 $2,185

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-39.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 $1,996

$1,936 MX$35.8K

3.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,396 $4,396

$964 MX$17.8K

355.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.3

-41.86%

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

Last update for College Station, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$945 45%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 30.8% $291

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$372 17.7%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 14.4% $54

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$280 13.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 27.1% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$276 13.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 55% $152

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$136 6.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 11.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$47 2.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 47.7% $23

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$44 2.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 41.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in College Station, TX and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 356% 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: $78.0 in College Station, TX vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

College Station, TX Mexico City 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

College Station, TX
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

College Station, TX vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in College Station, TX. 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 356% higher in College Station, TX, 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: $1,131 in College Station, TX versus $1,025 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 3% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $761 in College Station, TX versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,100 in College Station, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. 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 $1,548 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 36% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.