Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
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Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,894

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,894
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,154 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,154
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,415 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,415
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 142% 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: Fort Lee, NJ 186% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$10.62 MX$199

135.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$48.35 MX$904

67.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.35 MX$193

5.80%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.69 MX$69.0

44.99%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.67 MX$31.14

31.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.27 MX$23.65

19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$3.19 MX$59.7

156.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$5.31 MX$99.2

51.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.72 MX$32.23

-22.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.04 MX$56.8

26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$1.94 MX$36.27

250.00%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.89 MX$54.0

60.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 $12.55

$10.97 MX$205

14.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 $11.86

$9.25 MX$173

28.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 $17.50

$15.13 MX$283

15.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.05 MX$57.0

78.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.94 MX$36.27

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.27 $6.27

$2.03 MX$37.85

208.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$2.31 MX$43.25

134.63%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.04 MX$38.03

99.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.80 MX$33.63

117.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.48 MX$27.64

95.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.27 MX$23.69

114.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$5.30 MX$99.1

122.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$16.10 MX$301

-26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.98 MX$37.06

-13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$4.25 MX$79.5

-52.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 $2.71

$0.31 MX$5.70

774.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$135 $135

$19.73 MX$369

583.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.84 MX$34.34

63.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.53 MX$9.97

296.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.13 $24.13

$5.30 MX$99.0

355.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.51 MX$28.23

-43.05%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

26.84%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

10.29%

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

$215 $215

$63.0 MX$1,177

241.95%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$27.39 MX$512

176.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$35.67 MX$666

79.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$58.9 MX$1,101

115.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$6.40 MX$120

127.34%

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

$2,027 $2,027

$432 MX$8,065

369.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

108.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.93 $41.93

$68.2 MX$1,275

-38.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 $57.6

$53.1 MX$993

8.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 $77.6

$108 MX$2,014

-27.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 $84.5

$117 MX$2,191

-27.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,927 $2,927

$1,113 MX$20.8K

162.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 $2,299

$710 MX$13.3K

223.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,548 $6,548

$2,588 MX$48.4K

153.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,918 $4,918

$1,406 MX$26.3K

249.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,299 $4,299

$3,631 MX$67.8K

18.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,727 $3,727

$2,135 MX$39.9K

74.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,606 $6,606

$946 MX$17.7K

598.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.35

-40.53%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 59%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 69.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$438 11.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 27% $118

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$369 9.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 46.2% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$355 9.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.5% $229

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 84% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 54% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$118 3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 32.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $438 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

2 h behind Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 = 0.899 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Fort Lee, NJ Mexico City 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, NJ
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

Fort Lee, NJ vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Fort Lee, NJ. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Fort Lee, NJ is about 7 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: $2,927 in Fort Lee, NJ 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 $3,894 per month in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 142% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 85% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,894 in Fort Lee, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Fort Lee, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 59% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.