Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,222 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Galveston, TX
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Galveston, TX Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,222

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,222
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,215 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,215
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,209 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,209
Mexico City $3,490

Galveston, TX costs about 38% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and Mexico City sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 63%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.04 $22.04

$10.62 MX$198

107.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$48.35 MX$901

58.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$10.35 MX$193

17.10%

Cappuccino

$7.95 $7.95

$3.69 MX$68.8

115.45%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.67 MX$31.07

70.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.27 MX$23.59

39.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.19 MX$59.5

61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$5.31 MX$98.9

-23.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.72 MX$32.15

-52.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.04 MX$56.7

-15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.94 MX$36.19

44.85%

Eggs

$2.75 $2.75

$2.89 MX$53.8

-4.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$10.97 MX$205

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$9.25 MX$172

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$15.13 MX$282

-12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.05 MX$56.8

79.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.94 MX$36.19

-19.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.03 MX$37.75

56.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.31 MX$43.15

62.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.04 MX$37.94

4.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.80 MX$33.55

38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.48 MX$27.58

21.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.27 MX$23.63

40.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.91 $9.91

$5.30 MX$98.9

86.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$16.10 MX$300

-32.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.98 MX$36.97

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$4.25 MX$79.3

-58.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.31 MX$5.69

529.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.77 $32.77

$19.73 MX$368

66.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.90 $9.90

$1.84 MX$34.25

438.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.53 MX$9.94

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 $60.6

$5.30 MX$98.7

1044.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.51 MX$28.16

-37.09%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

23.41%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

9.92%

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

$176 $176

$63.0 MX$1,174

179.74%

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

$42.42 $42.42

$27.39 MX$511

54.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.79 $39.79

$35.67 MX$665

11.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.89 $34.89

$58.9 MX$1,099

-40.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$11.17 $11.17

$6.40 MX$119

74.53%

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

$759 $759

$432 MX$8,045

75.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K $18.2K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

59.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.12 $44.12

$68.2 MX$1,272

-35.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 $38.49

$53.1 MX$990

-27.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.4 $73.4

$108 MX$2,009

-31.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.1 $81.1

$117 MX$2,186

-30.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 $1,186

$1,113 MX$20.8K

6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,059 $1,059

$710 MX$13.2K

49.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-18.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,406 MX$26.2K

12.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,698 $2,698

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-25.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,158 $2,158

$2,135 MX$39.8K

1.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 $4,045

$946 MX$17.6K

327.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.35

-42.11%

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

Last update for Galveston, TX: 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 32.9% $349

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$360 16.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 44.9% $162

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$320 14.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 0.3% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$258 11.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 51.2% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$107 4.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 46.1% $49

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 57.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 25.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,186 in Galveston, 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 Galveston, TX are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Galveston, TX versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Galveston, TX vs $320 in Mexico City – so Galveston, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

1 h behind Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

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

Galveston, TX Mexico City 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,222 in Galveston, TX, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Galveston, 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 $1,186 in Galveston, 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 $2,222 in Galveston, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $759 per month in Galveston, TX and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,222 in Galveston, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Galveston, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.