Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dessau and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,783 in Dessau, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Dessau despite lower rent and utilities.

86

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
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Dessau Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,783

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,783 in Dessau versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Dessau $1,783
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,867 in Dessau versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Dessau $2,867
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,951 in Dessau versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Dessau $3,951
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Dessau is roughly 11% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dessau 31% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.48 €14.77

$10.62 MX$200

55.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 €75.7

$48.35 MX$909

74.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.40 €13.80

$10.35 MX$194

48.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 €3.95

$3.69 MX$69.4

19.51%

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

$2.80 €2.51

$1.67 MX$31.32

67.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.82

$1.27 MX$23.78

236.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 €4.39

$3.19 MX$60.0

53.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.87

$5.31 MX$99.7

2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.72 MX$32.41

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.84

$3.04 MX$57.1

-32.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.94 MX$36.48

98.45%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.25

$2.89 MX$54.3

25.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 €9.17

$10.97 MX$206

-6.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 €10.50

$9.25 MX$174

26.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.39 €19.16

$15.13 MX$284

41.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.97

$3.05 MX$57.3

8.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.94 MX$36.48

5.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.03 MX$38.06

4.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.60 €3.23

$2.31 MX$43.50

55.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$2.04 MX$38.25

-38.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.80 MX$33.83

-38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.48 MX$27.80

13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.27 MX$23.82

-4.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.54 €8.55

$5.30 MX$99.7

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.85

$16.10 MX$303

-59.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.98 MX$37.27

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$4.25 MX$79.9

-60.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.31 MX$5.73

735.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 €58.5

$19.73 MX$371

230.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.49

$1.84 MX$34.53

172.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.23

$0.53 MX$10.03

369.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.16 €29.72

$5.30 MX$99.5

525.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.51 MX$28.39

28.48%

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

$32.9K €29.5K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

51.34%

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

$39.4K €35.3K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

64.27%

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

$279 €250

$63.0 MX$1,184

342.52%

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

$25.46 €22.81

$27.39 MX$515

-7.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 €45.76

$35.67 MX$670

43.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 €61.4

$58.9 MX$1,108

16.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.08 €19.79

$23.64 MX$444

-6.60%

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 €10.84

$6.40 MX$120

88.91%

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

$308 €276

$432 MX$8,111

-28.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 €66.5

$68.2 MX$1,282

8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.22 €41.42

$53.1 MX$999

-13.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 €120

$108 MX$2,026

24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 €153

$117 MX$2,204

45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 €397

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-60.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 €389

$710 MX$13.4K

-38.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €657

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-71.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 €879

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-30.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,354 €3,006

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-7.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 €1,573

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-17.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,184 €1,957

$946 MX$17.8K

130.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

11.35

-65.20%

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

Last update for Dessau: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dessau

$434 24.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 63.5% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dessau

$355 19.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.5% $229

Groceries & Markets

Dessau

$322 18%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 0.7% $2.2

Eating Out

Dessau

$295 16.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 32.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Dessau

$191 10.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 18.6% $36

Getting Around

Dessau

$93 5.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 72.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Dessau

$93 5.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 22.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $443 in Dessau and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dessau pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Dessau vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dessau

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

7 h behind Dessau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,116

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dessau Mexico City 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Dessau
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

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

Mexico City is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dessau is about 2.3 times higher, 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: $443 in Dessau versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $308 in Dessau versus $432 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 $48 versus $84 in Dessau. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Dessau on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.