Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontana, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,395 in Fontana, CA, rent and utilities included – about $21,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Fontana, CA
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Fontana, CA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Fontana, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,395

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,395 per month in Fontana, CA vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fontana, CA $3,395
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $5,018 per month in Fontana, CA vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fontana, CA $5,018
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $6,640 per month in Fontana, CA vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Fontana, CA $6,640
Mexico City $3,490

Fontana, CA costs about 111% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fontana, CA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Fontana, CA by 149%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$10.62 MX$200

89.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 $78.8

$48.35 MX$909

62.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.35 MX$194

42.22%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.69 MX$69.4

55.28%

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

$3.40 $3.40

$1.67 MX$31.32

103.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.27 MX$23.78

94.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 $7.28

$3.19 MX$60.0

128.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 $9.61

$5.31 MX$99.7

80.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.72 MX$32.41

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.04 MX$57.1

35.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.94 MX$36.48

143.30%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.89 MX$54.3

75.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$10.97 MX$206

19.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$9.25 MX$174

-4.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.70 $15.70

$15.13 MX$284

3.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.05 MX$57.3

54.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.94 MX$36.48

11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.03 MX$38.06

92.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.31 MX$43.50

135.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.04 MX$38.25

84.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.80 MX$33.83

22.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.48 MX$27.80

35.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.27 MX$23.82

50.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$5.30 MX$99.7

121.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.27 $15.27

$16.10 MX$303

-5.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.98 MX$37.27

2.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 $4.07

$4.25 MX$79.9

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.43 $45.43

$19.73 MX$371

130.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.84 MX$34.53

232.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.51 MX$28.39

1.32%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

30.04%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

8.41%

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

$221 $221

$63.0 MX$1,184

251.49%

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

$79.0 $79.0

$27.39 MX$515

188.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 $60.0

$35.67 MX$670

68.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$6.40 MX$120

137.19%

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

$1,195 $1,195

$432 MX$8,111

176.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$68.2 MX$1,282

-16.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 $40.72

$53.1 MX$999

-23.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.2 $93.2

$108 MX$2,026

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$117 MX$2,204

-12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,970 $1,970

$1,113 MX$20.9K

76.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,071 $2,071

$710 MX$13.4K

191.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,187 $3,187

$2,588 MX$48.6K

23.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,737 $3,737

$1,406 MX$26.4K

165.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,906 $4,906

$946 MX$17.8K

418.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.35

-44.41%

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

Last update for Fontana, CA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fontana, CA

$2.1K 61%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 65.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Fontana, CA

$397 11.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 19.5% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontana, CA

$360 10.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 65% $234

Eating Out

Fontana, CA

$353 10.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 43.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Fontana, CA

$132 3.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 17.8% $24

Getting Around

Fontana, CA

$52 * 1.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 50.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Fontana, CA

$30 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 136% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,970 in Fontana, CA 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 Fontana, CA are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Fontana, CA versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fontana, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:13 9:13 PM

23:13 11:13 PM

2 h ahead of Fontana, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

210,000

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

Fontana, CA Mexico City 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fontana, CA
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

Fontana, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontana, CA costs about 111% 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 $5,093 per month in Fontana, CA 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 $1,970 in Fontana, CA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,395 in Fontana, CA and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Fontana, CA at $3,395. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fontana, CA 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fontana, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.