Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ellicott City, MD and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Ellicott City, MD
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Ellicott City, MD Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ellicott City, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,488

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,488 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $3,488
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $4,646 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $4,646
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $5,804 per month in Ellicott City, MD vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Ellicott City, MD $5,804
Mexico City $3,490

Ellicott City, MD costs about 117% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ellicott City, MD and Mexico City sit above the global median – Ellicott City, MD by 156%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.21 $18.21

$10.62 MX$198

71.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 $95.6

$48.35 MX$901

97.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 $10.87

$10.35 MX$193

5.02%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.69 MX$68.8

46.34%

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

$3.35 $3.35

$1.67 MX$31.07

100.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.27 MX$23.59

107.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$3.19 MX$59.5

118.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$5.31 MX$98.9

51.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.72 MX$32.15

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.04 MX$56.7

35.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.94 MX$36.19

96.39%

Eggs

$4.58 $4.58

$2.89 MX$53.8

58.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$10.97 MX$205

54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$9.25 MX$172

40.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.52 $18.52

$15.13 MX$282

22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.05 MX$56.8

102.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.94 MX$36.19

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.03 MX$37.75

103.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.31 MX$43.15

76.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.04 MX$37.94

9.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.80 MX$33.55

48.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.48 MX$27.58

58.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 MX$23.63

75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.49 $13.49

$5.30 MX$98.9

154.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$16.10 MX$300

-4.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.98 MX$36.97

35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$4.25 MX$79.3

-26.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.84 MX$34.25

-3.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.53 MX$9.94

152.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$5.30 MX$98.7

355.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.51 MX$28.16

-37.75%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

6.01%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

0.52%

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

$208 $208

$63.0 MX$1,174

230.72%

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

$49.91 $49.91

$27.39 MX$511

82.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.9 $79.9

$35.67 MX$665

123.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 $112

$58.9 MX$1,099

89.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$14.57 $14.57

$6.40 MX$119

127.66%

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

$1,921 $1,921

$432 MX$8,045

345.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.9K $34.9K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

205.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$68.2 MX$1,272

-22.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 $56.7

$53.1 MX$990

6.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 $93.5

$108 MX$2,009

-13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$117 MX$2,186

-4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 $2,498

$1,113 MX$20.8K

124.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$710 MX$13.2K

196.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,056 $3,056

$2,588 MX$48.2K

18.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,695 $2,695

$1,406 MX$26.2K

91.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,635 $2,635

$2,135 MX$39.8K

23.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,000 $5,000

$946 MX$17.6K

428.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.35

-40.18%

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

Last update for Ellicott City, MD: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ellicott City, MD

$2.1K 60.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 66.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Ellicott City, MD

$433 12.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 26.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ellicott City, MD

$338 9.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 62.7% $212

Eating Out

Ellicott City, MD

$318 9.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 37.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Ellicott City, MD

$142 4.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ellicott City, MD

$141 4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 49.1% $69

Getting Around

Ellicott City, MD

$8.5 * 0.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 200% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD 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 Ellicott City, MD are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Ellicott City, MD versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $433 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ellicott City, MD

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind Ellicott City, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,834

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ellicott City, MD Mexico City 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ellicott City, MD
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

Ellicott City, MD vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ellicott City, MD is pricier by about 117%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,232 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $2,412 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,498 in Ellicott City, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,488 in Ellicott City, MD and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 117%.

Kindergarten costs $1,921 per month in Ellicott City, MD and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Ellicott City, MD at $3,488. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ellicott City, MD 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.

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