Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,625 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
Learn more

Houston, TX Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,625

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,625 in Houston, TX versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Houston, TX $2,625
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Houston, TX versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Houston, TX $3,794
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,963 in Houston, TX versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Houston, TX $4,963
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Houston, TX is roughly 63% 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: Houston, TX 93% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 $20.40

$10.62 MX$198

92.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 $75.1

$48.35 MX$901

55.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.35 MX$193

-5.12%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.69 MX$68.8

42.01%

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

$2.72 $2.72

$1.67 MX$31.07

62.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.27 MX$23.59

77.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$3.19 MX$59.5

93.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$5.31 MX$98.9

49.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.72 MX$32.15

-51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$3.04 MX$56.7

6.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.94 MX$36.19

111.34%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$2.89 MX$53.8

12.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$10.97 MX$205

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$9.25 MX$172

36.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 $16.40

$15.13 MX$282

8.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$3.05 MX$56.8

35.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.94 MX$36.19

-24.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.03 MX$37.75

50.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.31 MX$43.15

58.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.04 MX$37.94

7.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.80 MX$33.55

50.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.48 MX$27.58

31.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.27 MX$23.63

96.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.09 $10.09

$5.30 MX$98.9

90.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 $14.47

$16.10 MX$300

-10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.98 MX$36.97

25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$4.25 MX$79.3

-31.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.31 MX$5.69

306.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$19.73 MX$368

276.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.84 MX$34.25

54.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.53 MX$9.94

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.92 $23.92

$5.30 MX$98.7

351.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.51 MX$28.16

-35.76%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

58.25%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

10.00%

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

$198 $198

$63.0 MX$1,174

214.16%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$27.39 MX$511

137.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$35.67 MX$665

111.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.73 $35.73

$58.9 MX$1,099

-39.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.98 $20.98

$23.64 MX$441

-11.25%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 $15.06

$6.40 MX$119

135.31%

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

$1,901 $1,901

$432 MX$8,045

340.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K $22.1K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

93.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.81 $49.81

$68.2 MX$1,272

-26.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 $47.04

$53.1 MX$990

-11.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,009

-4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 $94.0

$117 MX$2,186

-19.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 $1,742

$1,113 MX$20.8K

56.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 $1,304

$710 MX$13.2K

83.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 $3,449

$2,588 MX$48.2K

33.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,406 MX$26.2K

46.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,659 $2,659

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-26.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,785 $1,785

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-16.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,293 $4,293

$946 MX$17.6K

353.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.35

-40.97%

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

Last update for Houston, TX: 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

Houston, TX

$1.3K 49.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 45.5% $593

Groceries & Markets

Houston, TX

$373 14.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 14.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houston, TX

$338 12.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 62.8% $212

Eating Out

Houston, TX

$322 12.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 38.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Houston, TX

$132 5%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 17.8% $24

Getting Around

Houston, TX

$90 3.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 71.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Houston, TX

$66 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 9% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,742 in Houston, TX and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Houston, TX vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

1 h behind Houston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,304,580

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Houston, TX Mexico City 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Houston, 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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Houston, TX. 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 Houston, TX is about 4.5 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: $1,742 in Houston, TX versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $75 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.