Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denver, CO and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,212 in Denver, CO, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Denver, CO
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Denver, CO Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Denver, CO

🇺🇸 United States

$3,212

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,212 in Denver, CO versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Denver, CO $3,212
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,651 in Denver, CO versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Denver, CO $4,651
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,090 in Denver, CO versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Denver, CO $6,090
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Denver, CO is roughly 105% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denver, CO 138% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$10.75 MX$199

88.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 $85.2

$50.3 MX$929

69.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 $11.74

$11.10 MX$205

5.77%

Cappuccino

$5.80 $5.80

$3.68 MX$68.1

57.61%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.65 MX$30.42

73.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.30 MX$24.08

76.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 $7.14

$3.32 MX$61.3

115.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 $8.12

$5.54 MX$102

46.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.77 MX$32.68

-36.16%

White Bread (500g)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.05 MX$56.4

79.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.01 MX$37.20

254.23%

Eggs

$5.03 $5.03

$2.77 MX$51.1

81.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.62 $16.62

$11.91 MX$220

39.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.95 $16.95

$9.33 MX$172

81.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 $18.44

$15.02 MX$278

22.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.08 MX$56.8

65.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.95 MX$35.97

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.03 MX$37.54

132.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$2.21 MX$40.92

140.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.02 MX$37.41

27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.82 MX$33.67

50.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.52 MX$28.07

56.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.28 MX$23.65

96.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$5.27 MX$97.4

102.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 $18.83

$16.12 MX$298

16.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.95 MX$36.05

40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$4.25 MX$78.6

-14.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.31 MX$5.82

774.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 $87.0

$19.85 MX$367

338.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.00 MX$36.93

72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.53 MX$9.86

224.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 $30.36

$5.62 MX$104

440.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 MX$28.07

-32.89%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

65.63%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

1.59%

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

$166 $166

$62.5 MX$1,155

165.11%

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

$77.1 $77.1

$28.77 MX$532

167.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$34.45 MX$637

104.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 $60.6

$57.1 MX$1,055

6.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.84 $24.84

$24.81 MX$458

0.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$6.67 MX$123

127.44%

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

$2,375 $2,375

$431 MX$7,964

451.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.6K $33.6K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

186.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$70.8 MX$1,308

-0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.74 $45.74

$51.8 MX$958

-11.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$109 MX$2,011

-7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$112 MX$2,076

15.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 $1,999

$1,051 MX$19.4K

90.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 $1,703

$665 MX$12.3K

156.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,250 $3,250

$2,346 MX$43.3K

38.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 $2,679

$1,227 MX$22.7K

118.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,737 $5,737

$3,554 MX$65.7K

61.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 $3,680

$1,977 MX$36.5K

86.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,540 $4,540

$975 MX$18.0K

365.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.9

11.3

-38.94%

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

Last update for Denver, CO: 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

Denver, CO

$1.7K 53%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 61% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Denver, CO

$500 15.6%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 35.4% $177

Eating Out

Denver, CO

$339 10.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 40.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denver, CO

$313 9.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 59.8% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Denver, CO

$156 4.9%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Denver, CO

$110 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 76.5% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Denver, CO

$91 2.8%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 22.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,999 in Denver, CO and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denver, CO pays 366% 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: $85.0 in Denver, CO vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $500 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denver, CO

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Denver, CO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

715,522

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Denver, CO Mexico City 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Denver, CO
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

Denver, CO vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 105% lower than in Denver, CO. 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 366% higher in Denver, CO, 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: $1,999 in Denver, CO 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 55% higher in Denver, CO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $85.0 in Denver, CO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,212 in Denver, CO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Denver, CO. 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 $1,567 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Denver, CO 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Denver, CO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.