Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Glasgow and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Glasgow, United Kingdom
Mexico City, Mexico
Glasgow
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,425
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,425 per month in Glasgow vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Glasgow $2,425
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,706 per month in Glasgow vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Glasgow $3,706
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,987 per month in Glasgow vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Glasgow $4,987
  • Mexico City $3,490

Glasgow costs about 51% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Glasgow and Mexico City sit above the global median – Glasgow by 78%, Mexico City by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.28 £15.97
$10.62 MX$198
100.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.2 £50.4
$48.35 MX$901
39.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.58 £7.94
$10.35 MX$193
2.22%
Cappuccino
$4.81 £3.61
$3.69 MX$68.7
30.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 £1.69
$1.67 MX$31.05
35.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 £1.37
$1.27 MX$23.58
44.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.48 £4.11
$3.19 MX$59.5
71.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.63 £4.98
$5.31 MX$98.9
24.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.72 MX$32.13
-2.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 £1.23
$3.04 MX$56.6
-46.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.94 MX$36.17
3.09%
Eggs
$4.00 £3.00
$2.89 MX$53.8
38.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.28 £6.96
$10.97 MX$204
-15.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 £6.82
$9.25 MX$172
-1.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.75 £12.57
$15.13 MX$282
10.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 £2.27
$3.05 MX$56.8
-0.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 £1.13
$1.94 MX$36.17
-22.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.91 £2.19
$2.03 MX$37.73
43.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.19 £2.39
$2.31 MX$43.12
38.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 £1.45
$2.04 MX$37.91
-5.39%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.80 MX$33.53
-13.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 £0.85
$1.48 MX$27.56
-23.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 £1.19
$1.27 MX$23.62
24.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.96 £17.98
$5.30 MX$98.8
352.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.32 £8.49
$16.10 MX$300
-29.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.37 £2.53
$1.98 MX$36.95
70.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.33 £2.50
$4.25 MX$79.2
-21.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.98 £2.99
$0.31 MX$5.68
1183.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$108 £81.1
$19.73 MX$368
447.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.75 £4.32
$1.84 MX$34.23
212.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 £0.86
$0.53 MX$9.94
115.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.6 £45.48
$5.30 MX$98.7
1043.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 £1.57
$1.51 MX$28.14
38.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K £29.5K
$21.8K MX$405.3K
80.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$24.0K MX$446.9K
69.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$312 £234
$63.0 MX$1,173
396.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.29 £15.22
$27.39 MX$510
-25.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 £31.55
$35.67 MX$664
17.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 £28.00
$58.9 MX$1,098
-36.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.73 £15.56
$23.64 MX$441
-12.31%
Cinema Ticket
$16.26 £12.20
$6.40 MX$119
154.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,124 £843
$432 MX$8,041
160.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.6K £16.2K
$11.4K MX$212.8K
89.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$132 £99.0
$68.2 MX$1,271
93.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.81 £34.37
$53.1 MX$990
-13.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 £80.0
$108 MX$2,008
-1.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.4 £70.1
$117 MX$2,185
-20.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,368 £1,027
$1,113 MX$20.7K
22.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 £786
$710 MX$13.2K
47.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,770 £2,078
$2,588 MX$48.2K
7.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,080 £1,561
$1,406 MX$26.2K
47.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,035 £3,027
$3,631 MX$67.6K
11.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,923 £2,193
$2,135 MX$39.8K
36.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Glasgow
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,339 £2,505
$946 MX$17.6K
252.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.79
11.35
-57.80%

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

Last update for Glasgow: 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
Glasgow
$1K
Mexico City
$710 32.2% $337
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Glasgow
$375
Mexico City
$126 66.4% $249
Eating Out
Glasgow
$317
Mexico City
$199 37.3% $118
Groceries & Markets
Glasgow
$311
Mexico City
$320 2.8% $8.7
Clothing & Footwear
Glasgow
$170
Mexico City
$156 8.3% $14
Getting Around
Glasgow
$135
Mexico City
$25 81.2% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Glasgow
$70
Mexico City
$72 2.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,368 in Glasgow 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 Glasgow are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Glasgow versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $311 in Glasgow vs $320 in Mexico City – so Glasgow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Glasgow
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
04:03 4:03 AM
22:03 10:03 PM
6 h behind Glasgow
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
606,340
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Glasgow Mexico City 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Glasgow
  • 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
Glasgow vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Glasgow and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,425 in Glasgow, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Glasgow compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,637 per month in Glasgow and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Glasgow and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Glasgow and Mexico City?
Kindergarten costs $1,124 per month in Glasgow and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Glasgow – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How far does $3,000 go in Glasgow compared to Mexico City?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,425 in Glasgow and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Glasgow and Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Glasgow and Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Glasgow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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