Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dallas, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,882 in Dallas, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Dallas, TX
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Dallas, TX Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dallas, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,882

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,882 per month in Dallas, TX vs $1,561 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dallas, TX $2,882
Mexico City $1,561

A couple spends around $4,362 per month in Dallas, TX vs $2,440 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dallas, TX $4,362
Mexico City $2,440

A family of three spends $5,841 per month in Dallas, TX vs $3,319 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dallas, TX $5,841
Mexico City $3,319

Dallas, TX costs about 85% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dallas, TX and Mexico City sit above the global median – Dallas, TX by 115%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 $21.21

$11.12 MX$204

90.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 $90.5

$48.99 MX$900

84.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.23 MX$206

7.75%

Cappuccino

$6.22 $6.22

$3.76 MX$69.0

65.43%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$1.65 MX$30.34

96.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.28 MX$23.48

80.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$3.26 MX$59.8

151.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.66 MX$104

39.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.81 MX$33.23

-42.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.94 MX$54.0

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.05 MX$37.62

130.73%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$2.93 MX$53.7

65.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$11.95 MX$219

9.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$9.51 MX$175

20.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$14.84 MX$273

26.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.14 MX$57.7

86.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.01 MX$36.99

-20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.08 MX$38.10

132.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.22 MX$40.72

88.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.06 MX$37.82

12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.88 MX$34.46

69.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.48 MX$27.18

29.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.35 MX$24.70

116.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.41 MX$99.3

82.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.94 $15.94

$16.86 MX$310

-5.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.98 MX$36.43

73.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$4.32 MX$79.4

2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.34 MX$6.33

794.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$20.23 MX$371

515.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.10 MX$38.47

40.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.53 MX$9.74

222.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.36 $24.36

$5.41 MX$99.3

350.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 MX$27.91

-32.89%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

64.36%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

14.79%

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

$196 $196

$63.0 MX$1,156

211.40%

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

$60.7 $60.7

$28.88 MX$530

110.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$33.93 MX$623

90.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$55.8 MX$1,024

8.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$24.90 MX$457

-18.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$6.77 MX$124

124.22%

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

$2,083 $2,083

$428 MX$7,854

386.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

105.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$70.0 MX$1,286

-7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.38 $49.38

$53.7 MX$986

-8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$110 MX$2,016

12.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$115 MX$2,115

19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$1,062 MX$19.5K

67.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 $1,411

$671 MX$12.3K

110.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,806 $3,806

$2,379 MX$43.7K

59.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$1,260 MX$23.1K

90.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,381 $9,381

$3,716 MX$68.2K

152.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,212 $3,212

$1,976 MX$36.3K

62.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,512 $4,512

$997 MX$18.3K

352.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.3

-39.29%

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

Last update for Dallas, TX: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dallas, TX

$1.4K 48.2%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 52.5% $741

Groceries & Markets

Dallas, TX

$426 14.6%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 23.2% $99

Eating Out

Dallas, TX

$360 12.3%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 42.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dallas, TX

$321 11%

Mexico City

$126 8% 60.9% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Dallas, TX

$169 5.8%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Dallas, TX

$148 5.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 82.2% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Dallas, TX

$91 3.1%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 23.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,784 in Dallas, TX versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 353% higher in Dallas, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Dallas, TX versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $327 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dallas, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

1 h behind Dallas, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,302,638

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Dallas, TX Mexico City 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dallas, 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

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

Dallas, TX costs about 85% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,323 per month in Dallas, TX and $2,341 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,083 per month in Dallas, TX and $428 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Dallas, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,561, than in Dallas, TX at $2,882. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dallas, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,561 versus $2,882 in Dallas, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dallas, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.