Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Isle of Islay and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Isle of Islay
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,352
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend on the Isle of Islay 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 on the Isle of Islay and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,352 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Isle of Islay $2,352
  • Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $3,353 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Isle of Islay $3,353
  • Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $4,354 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Isle of Islay $4,354
  • Mexico City $3,323

Isle of Islay costs about 52% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Isle of Islay and Mexico City sit above the global median – Isle of Islay by 74%, Mexico City by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.60 £16.21
$11.02 MX$204
96.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.4 £61.1
$48.68 MX$900
67.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.60 £7.95
$10.90 MX$201
-2.75%
Cappuccino
$4.48 £3.36
$3.68 MX$68.1
21.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 £1.86
$1.63 MX$30.18
52.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 £0.99
$1.25 MX$23.07
5.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.83 £4.37
$3.25 MX$60.1
79.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.01 £4.51
$5.53 MX$102
8.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.52
$1.70 MX$31.50
19.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.75 £1.32
$3.02 MX$55.8
-42.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.74 £2.06
$1.92 MX$35.53
42.71%
Eggs
$5.41 £4.06
$2.73 MX$50.5
98.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.39 £5.54
$11.77 MX$218
-37.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.52 £7.14
$9.53 MX$176
-0.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.36 £11.53
$14.41 MX$266
6.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.50 £1.88
$3.02 MX$55.8
-17.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.20 £1.65
$1.89 MX$35.01
16.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.12
$1.99 MX$36.70
41.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 £2.15
$2.19 MX$40.38
31.05%
Potato (1kg)
$3.06 £2.29
$1.92 MX$35.43
59.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 £1.58
$1.87 MX$34.49
12.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 £1.40
$1.44 MX$26.62
29.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.43 £1.82
$1.27 MX$23.39
91.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.79 £17.85
$5.22 MX$96.4
355.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.03 £9.03
$16.17 MX$299
-25.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.26 £2.44
$1.90 MX$35.03
71.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 £2.41
$4.22 MX$78.0
-23.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.50 £2.62
$0.34 MX$6.30
929.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.1 £73.6
$19.65 MX$363
399.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.75 £3.56
$2.00 MX$36.90
137.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.79 £2.84
$0.52 MX$9.67
628.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.58 £19.94
$5.34 MX$98.7
397.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.52 MX$28.13
36.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.5K £28.9K
$22.1K MX$408.0K
74.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.4K £30.3K
$24.5K MX$452.9K
64.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$238 £178
$61.1 MX$1,129
289.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.09 £9.82
$28.58 MX$528
-54.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.21 £31.67
$34.47 MX$637
22.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.82 £32.88
$56.4 MX$1,042
-22.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.88 MX$460
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.44 £10.08
$6.66 MX$123
101.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,918 £1,439
$427 MX$7,891
349.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.8K £18.6K
$11.6K MX$215.0K
112.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 £75.1
$67.8 MX$1,253
47.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.6 £43.19
$52.0 MX$960
10.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 £90.9
$106 MX$1,959
14.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 £65.4
$113 MX$2,080
-22.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,272 £955
$1,025 MX$18.9K
24.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,039 £779
$654 MX$12.1K
58.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,126 £1,595
$2,308 MX$42.7K
-7.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,449 £1,087
$1,242 MX$22.9K
16.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,528 £4,147
$3,613 MX$66.8K
53.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,409 £2,558
$1,936 MX$35.8K
76.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Isle of Islay
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$964 MX$17.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.41
11.3
-52.12%

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

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Isle of Islay
$1K
Mexico City
$654 37% $385
Groceries & Markets
Isle of Islay
$334
Mexico City
$318 4.9% $16
Eating Out
Isle of Islay
$315
Mexico City
$204 35.2% $111
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Isle of Islay
$293
Mexico City
$124 57.6% $169
Clothing & Footwear
Isle of Islay
$165
Mexico City
$152 7.5% $12
Getting Around
Isle of Islay
$136
Mexico City
$26 81.1% $110
Sport & Entertainment
Isle of Islay
$71
Mexico City
$70 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 on the Isle of Islay 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Isle of Islay
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
16:11 4:11 PM
09:11 9:11 AM
7 h behind the Isle of Islay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,457
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Isle of Islay Mexico City 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Isle of Islay
  • 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
Isle of Islay vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mexico City cheaper than the Isle of Islay?
Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,528 per month on the Isle of Islay and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper on the Isle of Islay or in Mexico City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 on the Isle of Islay and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses on the Isle of Islay and in Mexico City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,352 on the Isle of Islay and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 52%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living on the Isle of Islay or in Mexico City?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Isle of Islay or Mexico City more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Isle of Islay or Mexico City?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Isle of Islay vs other spots: cost of living compared

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