Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Independence, KS and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,994 in Independence, KS, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Independence, KS
Learn more

Independence, KS Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Independence, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,994

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,994 in Independence, KS versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Independence, KS $1,994
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,959 in Independence, KS versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Independence, KS $2,959
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,924 in Independence, KS versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Independence, KS $3,924
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Independence, KS is roughly 24% 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: Independence, KS 46% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.88 $19.88

$10.62 MX$197

87.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$48.35 MX$898

58.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 $11.19

$10.35 MX$192

8.12%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$3.69 MX$68.5

40.92%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.67 MX$30.95

55.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.27 MX$23.50

53.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.19 MX$59.3

90.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 $7.10

$5.31 MX$98.6

33.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.72 MX$32.03

-41.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.04 MX$56.5

15.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$1.94 MX$36.05

108.25%

Eggs

$4.19 $4.19

$2.89 MX$53.6

44.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 $12.54

$10.97 MX$204

14.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 $10.34

$9.25 MX$172

11.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 $17.14

$15.13 MX$281

13.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.05 MX$56.6

59.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.94 MX$36.05

-18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.03 MX$37.61

83.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$2.31 MX$42.99

98.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.04 MX$37.79

27.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.80 MX$33.43

90.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.48 MX$27.47

43.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.27 MX$23.54

80.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.72 $8.72

$5.30 MX$98.5

64.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$16.10 MX$299

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.98 MX$36.83

1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.25 MX$79.0

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.31 MX$5.67

574.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 $54.4

$19.73 MX$367

175.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.84 MX$34.13

54.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.53 MX$9.91

211.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 $34.18

$5.30 MX$98.3

544.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.51 MX$28.05

-37.75%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.8K MX$404.0K

28.77%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.0K MX$445.4K

7.44%

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

$198 $198

$63.0 MX$1,170

215.02%

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

$57.1 $57.1

$27.39 MX$509

108.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$35.67 MX$662

98.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 $40.35

$58.9 MX$1,095

-31.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 $14.19

$6.40 MX$119

121.72%

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

$1,347 $1,347

$432 MX$8,015

212.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.4K MX$212.1K

108.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$68.2 MX$1,267

-22.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.41 $35.41

$53.1 MX$987

-33.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$108 MX$2,002

-18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$117 MX$2,178

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 $1,589

$1,113 MX$20.7K

42.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 $688

$710 MX$13.2K

-3.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,560 $2,560

$2,588 MX$48.1K

-1.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 $1,047

$1,406 MX$26.1K

-25.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,731 $2,731

$3,631 MX$67.4K

-24.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,381 $2,381

$2,135 MX$39.6K

11.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,370 $5,370

$946 MX$17.6K

467.58%

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 Independence, KS: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Independence, KS

$688 34.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 3.2% $22

Groceries & Markets

Independence, KS

$388 19.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 17.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Independence, KS

$326 16.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 61.4% $200

Eating Out

Independence, KS

$318 15.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 37.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Independence, KS

$131 6.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 19.4% $25

Getting Around

Independence, KS

$74 3.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 65.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Independence, KS

$69 3.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 4.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Independence, KS and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, KS pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $76 in Independence, KS vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Independence, KS

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

Same time as Independence, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Independence, KS Mexico City 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Independence, KS
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

Independence, KS vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Independence, KS. 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 Independence, KS is about 5.7 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: $1,589 in Independence, KS 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 22% higher in Independence, KS. 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 $76 in Independence, KS. 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Independence, KS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.