Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilo, HI and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,865 in Hilo, HI, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Hilo, HI
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Hilo, HI Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Hilo, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,865

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,865 per month in Hilo, HI vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hilo, HI $2,865
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $4,388 per month in Hilo, HI vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hilo, HI $4,388
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $5,910 per month in Hilo, HI vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Hilo, HI $5,910
Mexico City $3,537

Hilo, HI costs about 71% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hilo, HI and Mexico City sit above the global median – Hilo, HI by 112%, Mexico City by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$10.59 MX$199

96.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$52.0 MX$978

53.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$10.73 MX$202

13.42%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.80 MX$71.4

48.16%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.61 MX$30.35

80.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.21 MX$22.81

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 $6.32

$3.18 MX$59.8

98.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 $7.57

$5.44 MX$102

39.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.72 MX$32.32

1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$10.08 $10.08

$2.97 MX$55.8

239.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.93 MX$36.24

121.76%

Eggs

$7.07 $7.07

$2.77 MX$52.2

155.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.98 $19.98

$11.67 MX$220

71.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.57 $17.57

$9.48 MX$178

85.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$30.15 $30.15

$15.37 MX$289

96.16%

Apples (1kg)

$8.57 $8.57

$3.10 MX$58.4

176.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.96 MX$36.90

21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$1.98 MX$37.30

429.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$2.34 MX$43.95

421.79%

Potato (1kg)

$9.04 $9.04

$2.02 MX$38.08

347.52%

Onion (1kg)

$7.81 $7.81

$1.82 MX$34.34

329.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.54 MX$29.06

248.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.31 MX$24.70

130.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$5.35 MX$101

122.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.03 $22.03

$16.19 MX$305

36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.96 MX$36.87

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.92 MX$36.08

53.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.47 MX$8.90

325.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.57 $23.57

$5.41 MX$102

335.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.48 MX$27.92

-4.73%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$21.4K MX$402.2K

19.34%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.8K MX$447.1K

9.61%

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

$302 $302

$62.0 MX$1,167

387.08%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$28.47 MX$536

137.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$125 $125

$34.11 MX$642

267.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.04 $37.04

$58.4 MX$1,099

-36.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.30 $25.30

$24.50 MX$461

3.27%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 $13.24

$6.59 MX$124

100.91%

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

$434 MX$8,172

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$14.0K MX$264.1K

-15.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.77 $36.77

$68.4 MX$1,286

-46.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.88 $29.88

$54.8 MX$1,031

-45.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 $66.8

$111 MX$2,086

-39.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 $83.9

$116 MX$2,183

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 $1,463

$1,179 MX$22.2K

24.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 $1,142

$771 MX$14.5K

48.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,574 $2,574

$2,570 MX$48.4K

0.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,199 $2,199

$1,420 MX$26.7K

54.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,600 $5,600

$3,586 MX$67.5K

56.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,662 $4,662

$2,064 MX$38.8K

125.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 $3,795

$1,003 MX$18.9K

278.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.35

-41.67%

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

Last update for Hilo, HI: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hilo, HI

$1.1K 39.9%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 32.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Hilo, HI

$715 * 25%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 54.8% $392

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilo, HI

$495 17.3%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 74.8% $370

Eating Out

Hilo, HI

$338 11.8%

Mexico City

$201 12% 40.7% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Hilo, HI

$98 3.4%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 61.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Hilo, HI

$64 2.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 12.6% $8

Getting Around

Hilo, HI

$13 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 92.7% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in Hilo, HI versus $1,179 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 Hilo, HI are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Hilo, HI versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $715 vs $324 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilo, HI

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

4 h ahead of Hilo, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,186

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hilo, HI Mexico City 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilo, HI
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

Hilo, HI vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilo, HI costs about 71% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,297 per month in Hilo, HI and $2,510 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 $1,179 there versus $1,463 in Hilo, HI.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,865 in Hilo, HI and $1,674 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 42% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 121% more in Hilo, HI, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,674 in Mexico City to $2,865 in Hilo, HI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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