Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Mexico
For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Mexico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,274 in Mexico.
Italy $1,843
Mexico $1,274
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $2,010 in Mexico.
Italy $2,816
Mexico $2,010
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,746 in Mexico.
Italy $3,788
Mexico $2,746
📏
Italy ($1,038–$2,555) and Mexico ($730–$2,625) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.
🌍
Living in Italy is roughly 45% more expensive than in Mexico on average.
📊
Italy (35% above) and Mexico (6% below) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.46€18.32
$10.63MX$200
92.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5€71.2
$43.29MX$813
83.65%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$11.15€9.99
$8.94MX$168
24.72%
Cappuccino
$2.04€1.83
$3.61MX$67.7
-43.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10€2.78
$1.48MX$27.70
109.46%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40€1.25
$1.00MX$18.77
40.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.51€4.94
$2.67MX$50.0
106.37%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74€5.14
$4.37MX$82.0
31.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.57€1.41
$1.59MX$29.76
-1.26%
White Bread(500g)
$2.38€2.13
$2.67MX$50.2
-10.86%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.90€2.60
$1.68MX$31.57
72.62%
Eggs
$4.07€3.65
$2.52MX$47.38
61.51%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$17.44€15.62
$8.79MX$165
98.41%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$12.56€11.25
$7.97MX$150
57.59%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$20.17€18.06
$11.50MX$216
75.39%
Apples(1kg)
$2.58€2.31
$2.76MX$51.7
-6.52%
Banana(1kg)
$2.19€1.96
$1.52MX$28.61
44.08%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.68€2.40
$1.95MX$36.70
37.44%
Tomato(1kg)
$3.27€2.93
$1.97MX$36.93
65.99%
Potato(1kg)
$1.90€1.70
$1.96MX$36.84
-3.06%
Onion(1kg)
$1.82€1.63
$2.03MX$38.08
-10.34%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.57€1.40
$1.43MX$26.90
9.79%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55€0.49
$1.14MX$21.39
-51.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.69€5.99
$4.52MX$84.9
48.01%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.99€7.15
$10.87MX$204
-26.49%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77€1.59
$1.77MX$33.14
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35€2.11
$3.19MX$59.9
-26.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Mexico
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.91€1.71
$0.62MX$11.64
208.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$43.44€38.90
$29.85MX$560
45.53%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.62€5.03
$2.66MX$49.97
111.28%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.71€1.54
$2.72MX$51.0
-37.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$33.64€30.12
$10.63MX$200
216.46%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.03€1.82
$1.40MX$26.24
45.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K€31.6K
$24.0KMX$450.0K
47.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K€32.9K
$23.9KMX$449.0K
53.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$227€203
$69.2MX$1,299
227.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59€10.38
$23.51MX$441
-50.70%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38€27.21
$29.00MX$544
4.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$51.8€46.37
$34.74MX$652
49.02%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.70€21.22
$17.46MX$328
35.74%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60€9.50
$5.24MX$98.5
102.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$568€508
$261MX$4,892
117.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.5K€10.3K
$5,999MX$112.6K
92.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5€81.1
$55.8MX$1,048
62.12%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55€34.53
$41.58MX$781
-7.29%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$103€91.9
$96.3MX$1,809
6.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131€117
$90.1MX$1,691
45.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Mexico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$826€739
$713MX$13.4K
15.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$646€579
$477MX$8,954
35.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,400€1,254
$1,358MX$25.5K
3.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,054€944
$906MX$17.0K
16.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,662€3,280
$2,597MX$48.7K
41.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,301€2,061
$1,565MX$29.4K
47.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Mexico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,886€1,689
$773MX$14.5K
143.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.56
11.43
-68.85%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026
Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$646 35.1%
Mexico
$477 37.4% ↓ 26.2%$169
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$348 18.9%
Mexico
$267 21% ↓ 23.2%$81
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$279 15.1%
Mexico
$187 14.7% ↓ 32.8%$91
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$269 14.6%
Mexico
$122 9.6% ↓ 54.7%$147
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163 8.9%
Mexico
$128 10% ↓ 21.7%$35
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$73 4%
Mexico
$45 3.6% ↓ 38%$28
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$65 3.5%
Mexico
$49 3.8% ↓ 25.6%$17
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$1.1K 27.8%
Mexico
$906 33% ↓ 14.1%$148
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$823 21.7%
Mexico
$612 22.3% ↓ 25.6%$211
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$964 25.5%
Mexico
$593 21.6% ↓ 38.5%$372
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$280 7.4%
Mexico
$145 5.3% ↓ 48.2%$135
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$363 9.6%
Mexico
$284 10.3% ↓ 21.7%$79
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$170 4.5%
Mexico
$108 3.9% ↓ 36.4%$62
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$134 3.6%
Mexico
$98 3.6% ↓ 26.8%$36
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $624 in Mexico. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $1,113 in Mexico City.
💰National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $722 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 17% higher in Italy.
⭐Dining out costs 70% more in Italy.
⭐Public transport is 39% more expensive in Italy.
⭐Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.
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
Italy vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Mexico?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,274 in Mexico, Mexico comes out about 31% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mexico: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $624 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Mexico?
It depends on what you’re after: Mexico wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.