Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburgh and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $2,772 per month in Edinburgh vs $1,456 in Mexico City, rent included.

A couple spends around $4,140 per month in Edinburgh vs $2,361 in Mexico City, rent included.

A family of three spends $5,508 per month in Edinburgh vs $3,266 in Mexico City, rent included.

Edinburgh costs about 90% more than Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both Edinburgh and Mexico City sit above the global median – Edinburgh by 107%, Mexico City by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £15.00

$13.07 MX$228

54.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 £74.9

$53.8 MX$936

87.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 £7.45

$9.68 MX$169

3.31%

Cappuccino

$5.41 £4.03

$3.74 MX$65.1

44.65%

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

$2.51 £1.87

$1.62 MX$28.13

54.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.16 MX$20.23

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 £5.60

$3.23 MX$56.2

132.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 £5.07

$4.74 MX$82.5

43.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.65 MX$28.68

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$2.75 MX$47.95

-36.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 £1.55

$1.87 MX$32.63

11.23%

Eggs

$4.25 £3.17

$2.50 MX$43.54

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 £9.04

$10.20 MX$178

19.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 £7.80

$8.25 MX$144

27.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.73 £13.94

$11.82 MX$206

58.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 £2.33

$3.01 MX$52.4

3.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.81 MX$31.54

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 £3.07

$2.00 MX$34.81

106.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.60 £3.42

$2.00 MX$34.74

130.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.36

$2.08 MX$36.30

-12.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.27 MX$39.56

-37.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.46 MX$25.36

-16.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$1.08 MX$18.74

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.18 £15.02

$4.35 MX$75.7

363.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 £8.32

$16.99 MX$296

-34.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 £1.86

$1.73 MX$30.18

44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 £2.45

$3.58 MX$62.3

-8.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 £2.01

$0.39 MX$6.74

592.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.4 £66.6

$18.69 MX$325

378.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.95

$1.33 MX$23.08

299.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 £2.24

$0.28 MX$4.87

975.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.48 £31.63

$5.25 MX$91.5

709.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.34 MX$23.27

44.78%

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

$38.8K £28.9K

$19.4K MX$338.0K

99.88%

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

$39.9K £29.7K

$23.8K MX$415.0K

67.34%

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

$381 £283

$40.69 MX$709

835.61%

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

$17.69 £13.17

$26.87 MX$468

-34.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.83 £32.63

$30.51 MX$531

43.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 £39.91

$52.8 MX$919

1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.17 £17.99

$26.65 MX$464

-9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 £11.18

$6.51 MX$113

130.57%

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

$1,937 £1,442

$428 MX$7,454

352.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K £17.7K

$10.5K MX$182.8K

126.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$119 £88.8

$57.3 MX$997

108.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 £40.63

$45.50 MX$792

19.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £87.4

$104 MX$1,812

12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 £91.3

$108 MX$1,878

13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 £1,203

$1,003 MX$17.5K

61.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 £918

$623 MX$10.8K

97.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 £2,306

$2,109 MX$36.7K

46.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,186 £1,627

$1,218 MX$21.2K

79.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,544 £4,872

$3,885 MX$67.6K

68.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,733 £3,523

$2,033 MX$35.4K

132.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,601 £2,681

$1,038 MX$18.1K

246.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

11.34

-50.35%

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

Last update for Edinburgh: July 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,616 in Edinburgh versus $1,003 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 247% higher in Edinburgh, 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 $101 in Edinburgh versus $54.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $292 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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

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

Yes – Edinburgh is pricier by about 90%, and the gap shows up most in Eating Out. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,158 per month in Edinburgh and $2,185 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 $101 in Edinburgh and $54.0 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 $2,772 in Edinburgh and $1,456 in Mexico City. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,456, than in Edinburgh at $2,772. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edinburgh 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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