Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Downey, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,035 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Downey, CA
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Downey, CA Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,035

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,035 in Downey, CA versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Downey, CA $3,035
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,713 in Downey, CA versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Downey, CA $4,713
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,391 in Downey, CA versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Downey, CA $6,391
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Downey, CA is roughly 94% 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: Downey, CA 125% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.83 $24.83

$10.75 MX$199

130.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$50.3 MX$929

59.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$11.10 MX$205

37.03%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.68 MX$68.1

53.80%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.65 MX$30.42

91.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.30 MX$24.08

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 $7.38

$3.32 MX$61.3

122.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.36 $9.36

$5.54 MX$102

68.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.77 MX$32.68

-36.72%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.05 MX$56.4

34.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.01 MX$37.20

133.83%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.77 MX$51.1

68.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$11.91 MX$220

8.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$9.33 MX$172

43.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 $15.25

$15.02 MX$278

1.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.08 MX$56.8

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.95 MX$35.97

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.03 MX$37.54

103.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.21 MX$40.92

147.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.02 MX$37.41

83.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.82 MX$33.67

69.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.52 MX$28.07

33.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.28 MX$23.65

74.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$5.27 MX$97.4

121.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$16.12 MX$298

-7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.95 MX$36.05

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.25 MX$78.6

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 $6.34

$2.00 MX$36.93

217.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.52 MX$28.07

-3.29%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

79.26%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

2.14%

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

$170 $170

$62.5 MX$1,155

172.51%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$28.77 MX$532

131.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 $72.3

$34.45 MX$637

109.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.92 $34.92

$57.1 MX$1,055

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 $15.11

$6.67 MX$123

126.54%

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

$1,188 $1,188

$431 MX$7,964

175.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 $58.6

$70.8 MX$1,308

-17.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 $45.89

$51.8 MX$958

-11.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 $92.0

$109 MX$2,011

-15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$112 MX$2,076

28.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,946 $1,946

$1,051 MX$19.4K

85.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$665 MX$12.3K

154.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,725 $3,725

$2,346 MX$43.3K

58.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,383 $3,383

$1,227 MX$22.7K

175.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,755 $5,755

$3,554 MX$65.7K

61.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,766 $5,766

$1,977 MX$36.5K

191.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,178 $4,178

$975 MX$18.0K

328.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.3

-43.45%

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

Last update for Downey, CA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 60.7% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Downey, CA

$419 13.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 23% $96

Eating Out

Downey, CA

$390 12.8%

Mexico City

$203 13% 47.9% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Downey, CA

$309 10.2%

Mexico City

$126 8% 59.4% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Downey, CA

$153 5.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Downey, CA

$65 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 8.1% $5.3

Getting Around

Downey, CA

$6.3 * 0.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 307% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,946 in Downey, CA and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays 329% 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: $80.0 in Downey, CA vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h ahead of Downey, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,355

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Downey, CA Mexico City 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Downey, CA
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

Downey, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 329% higher in Downey, CA, 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: $1,946 in Downey, CA 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 30% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,035 per month in Downey, CA versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,035 in Downey, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Downey, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Downey, CA 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 94% less than in Downey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.