Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,095 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,095

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,095 in Durham versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Durham $2,095
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Durham versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Durham $3,366
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,636 in Durham versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Durham $4,636
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Durham is roughly 30% 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: Durham 54% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 £14.92

$10.62 MX$199

86.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.7 £69.7

$48.35 MX$904

91.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.49 £8.63

$10.35 MX$193

11.01%

Cappuccino

$4.79 £3.60

$3.69 MX$69.0

29.81%

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

$2.47 £1.85

$1.67 MX$31.14

47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.27 MX$23.65

64.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 £4.58

$3.19 MX$59.7

91.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 £4.07

$5.31 MX$99.2

2.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.72 MX$32.23

15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 £1.15

$3.04 MX$56.8

-49.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 £2.32

$1.94 MX$36.27

59.28%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.32

$2.89 MX$54.0

52.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 £7.60

$10.97 MX$205

-7.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.24 £6.94

$9.25 MX$173

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.55 £16.20

$15.13 MX$283

42.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$3.05 MX$57.0

-6.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$1.94 MX$36.27

28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$2.03 MX$37.85

38.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 £3.96

$2.31 MX$43.25

128.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$2.04 MX$38.03

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.80 MX$33.63

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 £0.81

$1.48 MX$27.64

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.27 MX$23.69

46.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 £17.89

$5.30 MX$99.1

349.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 £8.04

$16.10 MX$301

-33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.43

$1.98 MX$37.06

63.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.41

$4.25 MX$79.5

-24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.43

$0.31 MX$5.70

941.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.4 £66.5

$19.73 MX$369

348.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 £4.82

$1.84 MX$34.34

248.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 £1.52

$0.53 MX$9.97

283.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.24 £18.22

$5.30 MX$99.0

357.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.48

$1.51 MX$28.23

29.80%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

75.13%

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

$41.0K £30.8K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

71.05%

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

$263 £197

$63.0 MX$1,177

317.23%

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

$15.28 £11.48

$27.39 MX$512

-44.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.46 £32.66

$35.67 MX$666

21.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.28 £34.78

$58.9 MX$1,101

-21.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$12.89 £9.69

$6.40 MX$120

101.41%

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

$1,334 £1,003

$432 MX$8,065

209.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K £19.1K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

122.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.8

$68.2 MX$1,275

55.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.3 £52.8

$53.1 MX$993

32.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £87.9

$108 MX$2,014

8.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 £73.2

$117 MX$2,191

-16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 £1,190

$1,113 MX$20.8K

42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 £560

$710 MX$13.3K

4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,676 £2,011

$2,588 MX$48.4K

3.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 £1,214

$1,406 MX$26.3K

14.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 £3,806

$3,631 MX$67.8K

39.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,794 £2,851

$2,135 MX$39.9K

77.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,086 £1,568

$946 MX$17.7K

120.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

11.35

-54.36%

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

Last update for Durham: 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

$746 35.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 4.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$352 16.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 9.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$322 15.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 60.8% $195

Eating Out

Durham

$310 14.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 36% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$176 8.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 11.4% $20

Getting Around

Durham

$118 5.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 78.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Durham and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $93 in Durham vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

06:57 6:57 AM

6 h behind Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham Mexico City 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Durham and Mexico City differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,095 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Durham is about 2.2 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: $1,583 in Durham versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,095 per month in Durham versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 78% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.