Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Dili and in Mexico City: $1,574 and $1,561 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $1,561 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Mexico City $1,561

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $2,440 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Mexico City $2,440

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $3,319 in Mexico City, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Mexico City $3,319

Dili costs about 1% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Dili and Mexico City sit above the global median – Dili by 17%, Mexico City by 16%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$11.12 MX$204

-53.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$48.99 MX$900

-13.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$11.23 MX$206

-29.56%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$3.76 MX$69.0

11.17%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$1.65 MX$30.34

-1.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.28 MX$23.48

115.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.26 MX$59.8

-21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$5.66 MX$104

-21.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.81 MX$33.23

30.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.94 MX$54.0

-14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.05 MX$37.62

-53.17%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.93 MX$53.7

-8.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$11.95 MX$219

-82.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.51 MX$175

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$14.84 MX$273

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.14 MX$57.7

4.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.01 MX$36.99

-7.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.08 MX$38.10

19.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.22 MX$40.72

1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.06 MX$37.82

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.88 MX$34.46

-38.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.48 MX$27.18

-42.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.35 MX$24.70

-27.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$5.41 MX$99.3

-43.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$16.86 MX$310

-29.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.98 MX$36.43

10.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$4.32 MX$79.4

-33.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.34 MX$6.33

-29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$20.23 MX$371

47.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.10 MX$38.47

67.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.53 MX$9.74

575.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$5.41 MX$99.3

265.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.52 MX$27.91

-5.26%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

-17.25%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

-32.61%

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

$152 $152

$63.0 MX$1,156

140.99%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$28.88 MX$530

-4.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$55.8 MX$1,024

-11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$6.77 MX$124

-8.86%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$428 MX$7,854

245.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

35.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$70.0 MX$1,286

-12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$53.7 MX$986

-43.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$110 MX$2,016

-27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$115 MX$2,115

-47.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$671 MX$12.3K

13.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$2,379 MX$43.7K

15.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$1,260 MX$23.1K

19.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$997 MX$18.3K

266.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

11.3

-52.48%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 11.7% $89

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 19% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 29.8% $53

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 34.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 51% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 12.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 49.5% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili 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 267% higher in Dili, 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 $42.00 in Dili versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $327 – making Dili the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

01:35 1:35 AM

15 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

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

Dili Mexico City 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

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

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,574 in Dili and $1,561 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,561, than in Dili at $1,574. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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