Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Highland, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,680 in Highland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Highland, CA
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Highland, CA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Highland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,680

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,680 per month in Highland, CA vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Highland, CA $2,680
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $4,015 per month in Highland, CA vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Highland, CA $4,015
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $5,349 per month in Highland, CA vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Highland, CA $5,349
Mexico City $3,323

Highland, CA costs about 73% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Highland, CA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Highland, CA by 98%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$11.02 MX$204

127.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.1 $78.1

$48.68 MX$900

60.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.14 $15.14

$10.90 MX$201

38.90%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$3.68 MX$68.1

53.53%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.63 MX$30.18

88.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.25 MX$23.07

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.25 MX$60.1

121.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.03 $10.03

$5.53 MX$102

81.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.70 MX$31.50

-21.18%

White Bread (500g)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.02 MX$55.8

55.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.92 MX$35.53

136.98%

Eggs

$5.29 $5.29

$2.73 MX$50.5

93.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 $11.57

$11.77 MX$218

-1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$9.53 MX$176

-5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$14.41 MX$266

35.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.02 MX$55.8

55.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.89 MX$35.01

17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.99 MX$36.70

102.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$2.19 MX$40.38

148.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.92 MX$35.43

77.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.87 MX$34.49

55.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.44 MX$26.62

34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.27 MX$23.39

96.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$5.22 MX$96.4

124.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$16.17 MX$299

-8.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.90 MX$35.03

31.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.22 MX$78.0

-34.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

494.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.83 $29.83

$19.65 MX$363

51.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.00 MX$36.90

52.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 $1.89

$0.52 MX$9.67

263.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.72 $31.72

$5.34 MX$98.7

494.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 MX$28.13

2.63%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

28.64%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

7.10%

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

$221 $221

$61.1 MX$1,129

262.24%

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

$77.6 $77.6

$28.58 MX$528

171.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.7 $78.7

$34.47 MX$637

128.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.95 $40.95

$56.4 MX$1,042

-27.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$18.20 $18.20

$6.66 MX$123

173.27%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$427 MX$7,891

172.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K $31.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

173.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 $62.8

$67.8 MX$1,253

-7.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.18 $47.18

$52.0 MX$960

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$106 MX$1,959

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$113 MX$2,080

-7.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 $1,489

$1,025 MX$18.9K

45.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 $1,219

$654 MX$12.1K

86.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,331 $2,331

$2,308 MX$42.7K

0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,242 MX$22.9K

74.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 $3,106

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-14.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,390 $2,390

$1,936 MX$35.8K

23.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.3

-44.16%

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

Last update for Highland, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Highland, CA

$1.2K 45.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 46.3% $565

Groceries & Markets

Highland, CA

$420 15.7%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 24.2% $102

Eating Out

Highland, CA

$392 14.6%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 47.9% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Highland, CA

$377 14.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 67.1% $253

Clothing & Footwear

Highland, CA

$144 5.4%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 5.5% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Highland, CA

$77 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 9.9% $7.7

Getting Around

Highland, CA

$50 1.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 49.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,489 in Highland, CA versus $1,025 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Highland, CA versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $420 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Highland, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

1 h ahead of Highland, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,550

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Highland, CA Mexico City 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Highland, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,680 in Highland, CA, $1,548 in Mexico City – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,021 per month in Highland, CA and $2,322 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Highland, CA and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,680 in Highland, CA and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Highland, CA at $2,680. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Highland, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,680 in Highland, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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