Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,423 in Durham, NC versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Durham, NC $2,423
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,700 in Durham, NC versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Durham, NC $3,700
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,978 in Durham, NC versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Durham, NC $4,978
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 51% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 78% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.31 $15.31

$10.62 MX$200

44.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$48.35 MX$909

119.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$10.35 MX$194

-3.77%

Cappuccino

$4.79 $4.79

$3.69 MX$69.4

29.81%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.67 MX$31.32

80.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.27 MX$23.78

65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.19 MX$60.0

93.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$5.31 MX$99.7

34.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.72 MX$32.41

-34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.04 MX$57.1

54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.94 MX$36.48

132.99%

Eggs

$3.45 $3.45

$2.89 MX$54.3

19.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.01 $19.01

$10.97 MX$206

73.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.98 $16.98

$9.25 MX$174

83.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$15.13 MX$284

12.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$3.05 MX$57.3

85.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.94 MX$36.48

-5.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.03 MX$38.06

92.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.31 MX$43.50

98.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.04 MX$38.25

11.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.80 MX$33.83

116.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.48 MX$27.80

85.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.27 MX$23.82

54.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$5.30 MX$99.7

61.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$16.10 MX$303

-5.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.98 MX$37.27

-23.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 $4.01

$4.25 MX$79.9

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.84 MX$34.53

6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$0.53 MX$10.03

13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.51 MX$28.39

-33.11%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

42.06%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

8.58%

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

$226 $226

$63.0 MX$1,184

259.13%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$27.39 MX$515

107.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 $71.5

$35.67 MX$670

100.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$58.9 MX$1,108

-12.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$12.36 $12.36

$6.40 MX$120

93.12%

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

$1,567 $1,567

$432 MX$8,111

263.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$68.2 MX$1,282

-33.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 $35.33

$53.1 MX$999

-33.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 $90.7

$108 MX$2,026

-15.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$117 MX$2,204

13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 $1,502

$1,113 MX$20.9K

34.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$710 MX$13.4K

57.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$1,406 MX$26.4K

40.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 $3,463

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-4.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,420 $2,420

$2,135 MX$40.1K

13.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,786 $4,786

$946 MX$17.8K

405.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

11.35

-40.00%

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

Last update for Durham, NC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 36.4% $407

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$456 18.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 30% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$355 14.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.4% $228

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 11.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 27.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$137 5.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 13.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$76 3.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 5.9% $4.5

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 412% $20

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 $1,502 in Durham, NC and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Durham, NC vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $456 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h behind Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham, NC Mexico City 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham, NC
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

Durham, NC vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 in Durham, NC is about 5.1 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: $1,502 in Durham, NC versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,423 per month in Durham, NC versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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

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