Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,307 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, TN
Learn more

Columbia, TN Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,307

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,307 in Columbia, TN versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Columbia, TN $2,307
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,483 in Columbia, TN versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Columbia, TN $3,483
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,659 in Columbia, TN versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Columbia, TN $4,659
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 38% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 71% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.03 $12.03

$10.59 MX$199

13.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$52.0 MX$976

17.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$10.73 MX$201

-7.27%

Cappuccino

$3.94 $3.94

$3.80 MX$71.3

3.68%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$1.61 MX$30.28

34.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.21 MX$22.76

33.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.18 MX$59.7

98.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$5.44 MX$102

36.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.72 MX$32.26

-44.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.97 MX$55.7

-2.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$1.93 MX$36.17

104.66%

Eggs

$2.62 $2.62

$2.77 MX$52.1

-5.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$11.67 MX$219

11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$9.48 MX$178

-32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 $13.42

$15.37 MX$289

-12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$3.10 MX$58.3

78.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.96 MX$36.82

-38.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 $5.81

$1.98 MX$37.22

193.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.34 MX$43.86

73.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.02 MX$38.00

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$1.82 MX$34.26

126.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.54 MX$29.00

57.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.31 MX$24.64

66.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.11 $9.11

$5.35 MX$100

70.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$16.19 MX$304

-20.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.96 MX$36.79

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$4.35 MX$81.7

-51.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.92 MX$36.01

3.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 $1.15

$0.47 MX$8.88

144.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 $19.78

$5.41 MX$102

265.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.48 MX$27.86

-49.32%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.4K MX$401.4K

28.25%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$23.8K MX$446.1K

15.97%

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

$152 $152

$62.0 MX$1,164

145.68%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$28.47 MX$535

112.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 $75.9

$34.11 MX$641

122.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.50 $35.50

$58.4 MX$1,097

-39.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$12.57 $12.57

$6.59 MX$124

90.74%

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

$1,693 $1,693

$434 MX$8,155

289.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K $26.4K

$14.0K MX$263.6K

88.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.71 $39.71

$68.4 MX$1,284

-41.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.13 $32.13

$54.8 MX$1,029

-41.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 $82.5

$111 MX$2,082

-25.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 $90.2

$116 MX$2,178

-22.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$1,179 MX$22.1K

22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$771 MX$14.5K

63.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,544 $2,544

$2,570 MX$48.3K

-1.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 $2,366

$1,420 MX$26.7K

66.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.35

-41.85%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: 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

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.5%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 38.7% $487

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$347 15%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 6.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$289 12.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 56.8% $164

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$235 10.2%

Mexico City

$201 12% 14.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 43.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$61 2.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 18% $11

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$7.7 * 0.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 223% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,440 in Columbia, TN and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Columbia, TN vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

Same time as Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, TN Mexico City 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, TN
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

Columbia, TN vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 27% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,460 in Columbia, TN 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: $1,440 in Columbia, TN versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,693 in Columbia, TN versus $434 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 Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $61 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.