Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $330 in Ismailia versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Ismailia $330
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $561 in Ismailia versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Ismailia $561
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $792 in Ismailia versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Ismailia $792
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Ismailia costs roughly 79% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ismailia is 76% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 E£176

$11.02 MX$204

-70.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.58 E£778

$48.68 MX$900

-70.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 E£201

$10.90 MX$201

-65.50%

Cappuccino

$1.04 E£55.5

$3.68 MX$68.1

-71.74%

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

$0.30 E£15.91

$1.63 MX$30.18

-81.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.85

$1.25 MX$23.07

-89.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£70.6

$3.25 MX$60.1

-59.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 E£96.0

$5.53 MX$102

-67.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£42.30

$1.70 MX$31.50

-53.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 E£19.07

$3.02 MX$55.8

-88.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£32.12

$1.92 MX$35.53

-68.75%

Eggs

$1.15 E£61.5

$2.73 MX$50.5

-57.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.49 E£186

$11.77 MX$218

-70.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 E£213

$9.53 MX$176

-58.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 E£371

$14.41 MX$266

-51.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.3

$3.02 MX$55.8

-51.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.05

$1.89 MX$35.01

-71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.01

$1.99 MX$36.70

-79.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.79

$2.19 MX$40.38

-85.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.89

$1.92 MX$35.43

-86.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.12

$1.87 MX$34.49

-82.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.31

$1.44 MX$26.62

-84.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.67

$1.27 MX$23.39

-84.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 E£99.5

$5.22 MX$96.4

-64.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 E£293

$16.17 MX$299

-66.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 E£55.4

$1.90 MX$35.03

-45.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 E£101

$4.22 MX$78.0

-55.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 E£12.26

$0.34 MX$6.30

-32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.77 E£201

$19.65 MX$363

-80.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.60

$2.00 MX$36.90

-80.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 E£25.72

$0.52 MX$9.67

-7.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 E£60.2

$5.34 MX$98.7

-78.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.18

$1.52 MX$28.13

-72.37%

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

$27.6K E£1.5M

$22.1K MX$408.0K

25.20%

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

$14.6K E£780.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-40.39%

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

$13.94 E£744

$61.1 MX$1,129

-77.17%

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

$6.66 E£355

$28.58 MX$528

-76.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.33 E£391

$34.47 MX$637

-78.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.65 E£515

$56.4 MX$1,042

-82.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 E£984

$24.88 MX$460

-25.96%

Cinema Ticket

$1.82 E£97.4

$6.66 MX$123

-72.67%

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

$65.6 E£3,502

$427 MX$7,891

-84.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,171 E£62.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-89.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.92 E£690

$67.8 MX$1,253

-80.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.19 E£491

$52.0 MX$960

-82.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,764

$106 MX$1,959

19.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.53 E£1,470

$113 MX$2,080

-75.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 E£4,181

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-92.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$31.44 E£1,679

$654 MX$12.1K

-95.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 E£6,414

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-94.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.2 E£4,017

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-93.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$458 E£24.5K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-87.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$131 E£6,984

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-93.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 E£5,387

$964 MX$17.8K

-89.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

11.3

88.76%

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

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ismailia

$108 32.8%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 194% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Ismailia

$79 24.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 91.9% $73

Eating Out

Ismailia

$62 18.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 229% $142

Accommodation & Living

Ismailia

$31 9.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 1981% $623

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ismailia

$28 8.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 345% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Ismailia

$13 4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 424% $56

Getting Around

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 243% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $78.3 in Ismailia and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 856% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Ismailia vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $318 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

14:17 2:17 PM

9 h behind Ismailia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

352,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ismailia Mexico City 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ismailia
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

Ismailia vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 370% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 856% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $78.3 in Ismailia versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $65.6 in Ismailia versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 194% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ismailia 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 Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 370% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.