Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuernavaca and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuernavaca: $1,208 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Cuernavaca
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Cuernavaca Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,208

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Cuernavaca $1,208
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Cuernavaca versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Cuernavaca $1,788
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Cuernavaca versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Cuernavaca $2,368
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Cuernavaca costs roughly 25% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cuernavaca is 11% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.98 MX$149

$10.62 MX$199

-24.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.14 MX$694

$48.35 MX$904

-23.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 MX$128

$10.35 MX$193

-34.01%

Cappuccino

$2.48 MX$46.28

$3.69 MX$69.0

-32.79%

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

$1.31 MX$24.45

$1.67 MX$31.14

-21.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 MX$11.42

$1.27 MX$23.65

-51.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 MX$45.52

$3.19 MX$59.7

-23.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 MX$61.1

$5.31 MX$99.2

-38.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.31

$1.72 MX$32.23

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$41.29

$3.04 MX$56.8

-27.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.50

$1.94 MX$36.27

-26.80%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.23

$2.89 MX$54.0

-34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 MX$145

$10.97 MX$205

-29.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 MX$90.0

$9.25 MX$173

-47.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 MX$253

$15.13 MX$283

-10.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 MX$41.26

$3.05 MX$57.0

-27.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 MX$24.73

$1.94 MX$36.27

-31.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.45

$2.03 MX$37.85

9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.95

$2.31 MX$43.25

-28.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.94

$2.04 MX$38.03

-13.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.94

$1.80 MX$33.63

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 MX$27.89

$1.48 MX$27.64

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.50

$1.27 MX$23.69

-34.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 MX$79.1

$5.30 MX$99.1

-20.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 MX$150

$16.10 MX$301

-50.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.63

$1.98 MX$37.06

-38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 MX$61.6

$4.25 MX$79.5

-22.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MX$13.31

$0.31 MX$5.70

129.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.93 MX$653

$19.73 MX$369

77.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 MX$35.62

$1.84 MX$34.34

3.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 MX$46.60

$0.53 MX$9.97

369.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.64 MX$199

$5.30 MX$99.0

100.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.94

$1.51 MX$28.23

-11.92%

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

$24.5K MX$456.9K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

12.41%

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

$23.4K MX$436.5K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

-2.60%

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

$56.4 MX$1,054

$63.0 MX$1,177

-10.48%

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

$18.52 MX$346

$27.39 MX$512

-32.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.73 MX$462

$35.67 MX$666

-30.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.09 MX$543

$58.9 MX$1,101

-50.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$97.9

$6.40 MX$120

-18.13%

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

$218 MX$4,072

$432 MX$8,065

-49.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,055 MX$94.5K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

-55.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.44 MX$756

$68.2 MX$1,275

-40.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.23 MX$602

$53.1 MX$993

-39.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 MX$1,728

$108 MX$2,014

-14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MX$1,826

$117 MX$2,191

-16.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.6K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-44.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 MX$9,882

$710 MX$13.3K

-25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.8K

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-65.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 MX$15.0K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-42.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$851 MX$15.9K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

-76.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 MX$11.1K

$2,135 MX$39.9K

-72.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 MX$11.9K

$946 MX$17.7K

-32.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.4

11.35

0.44%

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

Last update for Cuernavaca: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cuernavaca

$529 43.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 34.3% $182

Groceries & Markets

Cuernavaca

$229 19%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 39.5% $91

Eating Out

Cuernavaca

$140 11.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 41.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cuernavaca

$118 9.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 31.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuernavaca

$100 8.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 26.5% $26

Getting Around

Cuernavaca

$52 4.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 51.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Cuernavaca

$40 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 81.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Cuernavaca and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 48% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Cuernavaca vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $320 per month, with Cuernavaca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Cuernavaca

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

Same time as Cuernavaca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

341,029

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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

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

Cuernavaca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Cuernavaca. 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: $619 in Cuernavaca versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuernavaca – a meal for two runs $37 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Cuernavaca versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuernavaca but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cuernavaca 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 – Cuernavaca wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.