Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Paso, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,120 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,120 per month in El Paso, TX vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

El Paso, TX $2,120
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,183 per month in El Paso, TX vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

El Paso, TX $3,183
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,246 per month in El Paso, TX vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

El Paso, TX $4,246
Mexico City $3,490

El Paso, TX costs about 32% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both El Paso, TX and Mexico City sit above the global median – El Paso, TX by 56%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.60 $18.60

$10.62 MX$200

75.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 $78.2

$48.35 MX$909

61.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 $12.23

$10.35 MX$194

18.16%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$3.69 MX$69.4

65.58%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.67 MX$31.32

42.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.27 MX$23.78

22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.19 MX$60.0

82.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 $6.84

$5.31 MX$99.7

28.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.72 MX$32.41

-49.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.04 MX$57.1

-0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.94 MX$36.48

27.32%

Eggs

$3.60 $3.60

$2.89 MX$54.3

24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.97 MX$206

10.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$9.25 MX$174

26.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 $13.03

$15.13 MX$284

-13.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.05 MX$57.3

15.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.94 MX$36.48

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.03 MX$38.06

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.31 MX$43.50

54.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.04 MX$38.25

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.80 MX$33.83

57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.48 MX$27.80

18.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.27 MX$23.82

23.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$5.30 MX$99.7

86.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.78 $9.78

$16.10 MX$303

-39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.98 MX$37.27

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.25 MX$79.9

15.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.31 MX$5.73

390.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.34 $48.34

$19.73 MX$371

145.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.84 MX$34.53

-9.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.53 MX$10.03

158.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.43 $27.43

$5.30 MX$99.5

417.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.51 MX$28.39

-39.74%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

26.74%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

7.26%

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

$162 $162

$63.0 MX$1,184

156.65%

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

$72.6 $72.6

$27.39 MX$515

164.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$35.67 MX$670

88.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.51 $17.51

$58.9 MX$1,108

-70.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.44 $8.44

$23.64 MX$444

-64.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 $12.15

$6.40 MX$120

89.84%

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

$689 $689

$432 MX$8,111

59.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,862 $6,862

$11.4K MX$214.7K

-39.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.41 $46.41

$68.2 MX$1,282

-31.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.88 $35.88

$53.1 MX$999

-32.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,026

-4.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 $178

$117 MX$2,204

52.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 $1,050

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-5.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 $904

$710 MX$13.4K

27.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 $1,569

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-39.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$1,406 MX$26.4K

6.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,983 $1,983

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-45.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,681 $1,681

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-21.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,323 $3,323

$946 MX$17.8K

251.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.35

-42.64%

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

Last update for El Paso, TX: 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

El Paso, TX

$904 42.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 21.4% $193

Groceries & Markets

El Paso, TX

$329 15.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 3% $9.7

Eating Out

El Paso, TX

$317 15%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 37.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Paso, TX

$302 14.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 58.2% $176

Clothing & Footwear

El Paso, TX

$164 7.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.8% $7.9

Getting Around

El Paso, TX

$63 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 59.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

El Paso, TX

$42 2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 71.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,050 in El Paso, TX 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 El Paso, TX are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in El Paso, TX versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

1 h ahead of El Paso, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

678,815

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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El Paso, TX Mexico City 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

El Paso, TX
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

El Paso, TX vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 32% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,180 per month in El Paso, TX and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,050 in El Paso, TX and $1,113 in Mexico City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,120 in El Paso, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,120 in El Paso, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,120 in El Paso, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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