Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla Mujeres and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla Mujeres: $1,087 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Isla Mujeres
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Isla Mujeres Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,087

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Isla Mujeres $1,087
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,747 in Isla Mujeres versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Isla Mujeres $1,747
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,407 in Isla Mujeres versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Isla Mujeres $2,407
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Isla Mujeres costs roughly 30% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isla Mujeres is 19% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 MX$195

$11.12 MX$205

-4.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 MX$721

$48.99 MX$902

-20.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.06 MX$148

$11.23 MX$207

-28.23%

Cappuccino

$3.38 MX$62.3

$3.76 MX$69.2

-10.11%

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

$1.24 MX$22.79

$1.65 MX$30.43

-24.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 MX$17.77

$1.28 MX$23.56

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 MX$41.23

$3.26 MX$60.0

-31.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.9

$5.66 MX$104

-32.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$26.35

$1.81 MX$33.33

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.68

$2.94 MX$54.2

-10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.00

$2.05 MX$37.74

-23.41%

Eggs

$2.38 MX$43.90

$2.93 MX$53.9

-18.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 MX$152

$11.95 MX$220

-31.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 MX$147

$9.51 MX$175

-15.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 MX$199

$14.84 MX$273

-27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$50.0

$3.14 MX$57.9

-13.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.81

$2.01 MX$37.11

-30.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.82

$2.08 MX$38.23

-14.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.45

$2.22 MX$40.86

-25.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.96

$2.06 MX$37.94

-10.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.53

$1.88 MX$34.57

2.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 MX$23.12

$1.48 MX$27.27

-14.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.88

$1.35 MX$24.78

-28.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$78.7

$5.41 MX$99.6

-21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 MX$196

$16.86 MX$311

-36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 MX$28.56

$1.98 MX$36.55

-21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 MX$50.5

$4.32 MX$79.6

-36.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 MX$12.09

$0.34 MX$6.35

94.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$373

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$48.90

$2.10 MX$38.59

26.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 MX$28.06

$0.53 MX$9.77

186.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 MX$154

$5.41 MX$99.6

54.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 MX$24.47

$1.52 MX$28.00

-12.50%

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

$21.2K MX$390.8K

$21.7K MX$400.3K

-2.36%

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

$22.8K MX$420.5K

$24.8K MX$457.0K

-7.99%

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

$56.0 MX$1,032

$63.0 MX$1,160

-11.02%

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

$22.35 MX$412

$28.88 MX$532

-22.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 MX$514

$33.93 MX$625

-17.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 MX$679

$55.8 MX$1,028

-33.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.02 MX$295

$24.90 MX$459

-35.66%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 MX$86.2

$6.77 MX$125

-30.87%

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

$206 MX$3,791

$428 MX$7,879

-51.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,587 MX$66.1K

$11.9K MX$218.7K

-69.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 MX$992

$70.0 MX$1,290

-23.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 MX$730

$53.7 MX$990

-26.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 MX$1,644

$110 MX$2,022

-18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 MX$1,435

$115 MX$2,122

-32.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 MX$9,550

$1,062 MX$19.6K

-51.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 MX$7,186

$671 MX$12.4K

-41.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 MX$17.0K

$2,379 MX$43.8K

-61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 MX$14.0K

$1,260 MX$23.2K

-39.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,785 MX$32.9K

$3,716 MX$68.4K

-51.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 MX$21.2K

$1,976 MX$36.4K

-41.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

11.3

1.59%

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

Last update for Isla Mujeres: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla Mujeres

$390 35.4%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 71.9% $281

Groceries & Markets

Isla Mujeres

$252 22.8%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 29.9% $75

Eating Out

Isla Mujeres

$177 16.1%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 16.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Isla Mujeres

$117 10.7%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 33.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla Mujeres

$106 9.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 18.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Isla Mujeres

$46 4.2%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 50.1% $23

Getting Around

Isla Mujeres

$13 * 1.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 104% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Isla Mujeres and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39.00 in Isla Mujeres vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $327 per month, with Isla Mujeres cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Isla Mujeres

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

00:56 12:56 AM

1 h behind Isla Mujeres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,174

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Isla Mujeres Mexico City 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Isla Mujeres
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

Isla Mujeres vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isla Mujeres and Mexico City differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,087 vs $1,561 including rent). Isla Mujeres is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,631 in Isla Mujeres and $2,341 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $518 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,087 per month in Isla Mujeres versus $1,561 in Mexico City – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,087 in Isla Mujeres versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Isla Mujeres but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Isla Mujeres the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Isla Mujeres and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Isla Mujeres gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.