Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,334 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Douala vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Douala $1,334
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Douala vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Douala $2,160
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,985 per month in Douala vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Douala $2,985
Mexico City $3,490

Douala is about 17% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Douala sits 2% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 FCFA 2,568

$10.62 MX$199

-58.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 FCFA 71.4K

$48.35 MX$908

151.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 FCFA 4,070

$10.35 MX$194

-33.04%

Cappuccino

$2.13 FCFA 1,251

$3.69 MX$69.3

-42.28%

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

$1.64 FCFA 964

$1.67 MX$31.29

-1.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 FCFA 447

$1.27 MX$23.76

-40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 707

$3.19 MX$59.9

-62.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 FCFA 1,535

$5.31 MX$99.6

-50.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 FCFA 1,705

$1.72 MX$32.38

68.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 FCFA 239

$3.04 MX$57.1

-86.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 FCFA 1,282

$1.94 MX$36.44

12.37%

Eggs

$1.85 FCFA 1,086

$2.89 MX$54.2

-35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

$10.97 MX$206

103.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 FCFA 4,623

$9.25 MX$174

-14.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 FCFA 3,629

$15.13 MX$284

-59.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 FCFA 2,703

$3.05 MX$57.2

50.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 FCFA 1,190

$1.94 MX$36.45

4.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,221

$2.03 MX$38.02

2.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 FCFA 813

$2.31 MX$43.46

-40.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 FCFA 1,868

$2.04 MX$38.21

55.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 FCFA 1,265

$1.80 MX$33.79

19.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 FCFA 445

$1.48 MX$27.77

-48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 392

$1.27 MX$23.80

-47.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 FCFA 1,484

$5.30 MX$99.6

-52.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 FCFA 5,045

$16.10 MX$302

-46.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 824

$1.98 MX$37.23

-29.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 FCFA 1,045

$4.25 MX$79.8

-58.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 FCFA 389

$0.31 MX$5.73

112.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.06 FCFA 10.0K

$19.73 MX$371

-13.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 339

$1.84 MX$34.50

-68.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 FCFA 478

$0.53 MX$10.02

52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.33 FCFA 4,891

$5.30 MX$99.4

57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 827

$1.51 MX$28.36

-6.62%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.3M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

35.34%

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

$15.6K FCFA 9.2M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-34.89%

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

$162 FCFA 95.3K

$63.0 MX$1,182

157.51%

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

$25.14 FCFA 14.8K

$27.39 MX$514

-8.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$178 FCFA 104.3K

$35.67 MX$670

397.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 FCFA 24.2K

$58.9 MX$1,107

-30.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$8.77 FCFA 5,151

$6.40 MX$120

37.03%

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

$505 FCFA 296.8K

$432 MX$8,103

17.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-70.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.1 FCFA 47.0K

$68.2 MX$1,281

17.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.1 FCFA 40.0K

$53.1 MX$997

28.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 FCFA 79.9K

$108 MX$2,023

26.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 FCFA 86.3K

$117 MX$2,202

25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 FCFA 333.3K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-49.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 FCFA 183.7K

$710 MX$13.3K

-55.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 FCFA 786.0K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-48.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 FCFA 318.2K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-61.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-45.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 FCFA 559.1K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-55.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 FCFA 130.2K

$946 MX$17.8K

-76.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

11.35

67.75%

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

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$365 27.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 65.5% $239

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$313 23.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 127% $398

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$277 20.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 15.3% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$194 14.5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 19.7% $38

Eating Out

Douala

$102 7.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 94.4% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$59 4.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 22.1% $13

Getting Around

Douala

$24 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 4.5% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Douala versus $1,113 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 in Mexico City are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $277 in Douala vs $320 in Mexico City – so Douala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

7 h behind Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Douala Mexico City 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Douala
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

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

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Douala and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Douala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Douala and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,334 in Douala to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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