Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cozumel and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,161 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,161

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,161 in Cozumel versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Cozumel $1,161
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,878 in Cozumel versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Cozumel $1,878
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,596 in Cozumel versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Cozumel $2,596
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Cozumel costs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cozumel is 14% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 MX$164

$10.75 MX$199

-17.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.13 MX$815

$50.3 MX$929

-12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 MX$150

$11.10 MX$205

-26.67%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MX$53.8

$3.68 MX$68.1

-20.92%

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

$1.14 MX$21.12

$1.65 MX$30.42

-30.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.08

$1.30 MX$24.08

-20.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$3.32 MX$61.3

-51.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$58.9

$5.54 MX$102

-42.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.56

$1.77 MX$32.68

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MX$30.85

$3.05 MX$56.4

-45.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$2.01 MX$37.20

-14.93%

Eggs

$1.88 MX$34.77

$2.77 MX$51.1

-32.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 MX$191

$11.91 MX$220

-13.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 MX$143

$9.33 MX$172

-16.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.68 MX$234

$15.02 MX$278

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 MX$46.12

$3.08 MX$56.8

-18.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 MX$25.63

$1.95 MX$35.97

-28.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.24

$2.03 MX$37.54

4.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 MX$28.75

$2.21 MX$40.92

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.90

$2.02 MX$37.41

9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.88

$1.82 MX$33.67

0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 MX$27.67

$1.52 MX$28.07

-1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.71

$1.28 MX$23.65

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 MX$84.0

$5.27 MX$97.4

-13.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.93 MX$202

$16.12 MX$298

-32.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MX$26.56

$1.95 MX$36.05

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 MX$48.40

$4.25 MX$78.6

-38.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.28

$0.31 MX$5.82

96.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.1 MX$1,222

$19.85 MX$367

233.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.14

$2.00 MX$36.93

33.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.97 MX$54.8

$0.53 MX$9.86

460.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 MX$162

$5.62 MX$104

56.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.33

$1.52 MX$28.07

-6.58%

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

$20.0K MX$369.0K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-5.05%

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

$24.2K MX$447.6K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-3.81%

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

$57.8 MX$1,068

$62.5 MX$1,155

-7.51%

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

$20.48 MX$378

$28.77 MX$532

-28.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.11 MX$409

$34.45 MX$637

-35.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.66 MX$714

$57.1 MX$1,055

-32.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.45 MX$378

$24.81 MX$458

-17.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.90 MX$109

$6.67 MX$123

-11.54%

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

$264 MX$4,886

$431 MX$7,964

-38.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,581 MX$66.2K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-69.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,026

$70.8 MX$1,308

-21.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 MX$996

$51.8 MX$958

3.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,881

$109 MX$2,011

-6.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 MX$1,549

$112 MX$2,076

-25.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 MX$11.1K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-42.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,069

$665 MX$12.3K

-42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 MX$29.7K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-31.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-37.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,896 MX$35.0K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-46.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,154 MX$21.3K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-41.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$656 MX$12.1K

$975 MX$18.0K

-32.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

11.3

3.01%

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

Last update for Cozumel: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cozumel

$383 33%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 73.8% $282

Groceries & Markets

Cozumel

$255 22%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 26.6% $68

Eating Out

Cozumel

$153 13.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 32.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cozumel

$133 11.4%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 16.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cozumel

$100 8.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 25.2% $25

Getting Around

Cozumel

$86 7.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 70% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cozumel

$50 4.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 39.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $602 in Cozumel and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 49% 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: $44.00 in Cozumel vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $323 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

1 h behind Cozumel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,236

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

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Between locations

Cozumel Mexico City 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cozumel
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

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

Cozumel and Mexico City differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($1,161 vs $1,567 including rent). Cozumel is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Mexico City. 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: $602 in Cozumel versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,161 in Cozumel versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cozumel but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cozumel 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.

Safety-wise, Cozumel and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cozumel gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.