Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
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Jacksonville, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,554

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Jacksonville, NC $2,554
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,595 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Jacksonville, NC $3,595
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Jacksonville, NC $4,637
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 59% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 88% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.57 $15.57

$10.62 MX$198

46.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$48.35 MX$901

21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$10.35 MX$193

-4.44%

Cappuccino

$4.81 $4.81

$3.69 MX$68.8

30.35%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.67 MX$31.07

53.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.27 MX$23.59

55.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.19 MX$59.5

54.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 $7.06

$5.31 MX$98.9

32.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.72 MX$32.15

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.21 $4.21

$3.04 MX$56.7

38.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$1.94 MX$36.19

471.13%

Eggs

$6.04 $6.04

$2.89 MX$53.8

109.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 $19.50

$10.97 MX$205

77.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$9.25 MX$172

84.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.53 $24.53

$15.13 MX$282

62.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.05 MX$56.8

92.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.94 MX$36.19

-4.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.03 MX$37.75

305.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.31 MX$43.15

167.10%

Potato (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$2.04 MX$37.94

237.25%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$1.80 MX$33.55

122.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.48 MX$27.58

87.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.27 MX$23.63

60.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.96 $8.96

$5.30 MX$98.9

69.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$16.10 MX$300

-6.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.98 MX$36.97

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.25 MX$79.3

-6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.31 MX$5.69

393.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.4 $90.4

$19.73 MX$368

358.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.84 MX$34.25

38.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.51 MX$28.16

-39.74%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

25.84%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

7.15%

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

$174 $174

$63.0 MX$1,174

176.25%

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

$76.0 $76.0

$27.39 MX$511

177.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$35.67 MX$665

99.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.20 $31.20

$58.9 MX$1,099

-47.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.71 $1.71

$23.64 MX$441

-92.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 $15.59

$6.40 MX$119

143.59%

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

$796 $796

$432 MX$8,045

84.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 $60.9

$68.2 MX$1,272

-10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.56 $39.56

$53.1 MX$990

-25.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,009

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$117 MX$2,186

18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$1,113 MX$20.8K

24.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,094 $1,094

$710 MX$13.2K

53.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 $1,809

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-30.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,406 MX$26.2K

3.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 $2,049

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-43.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,833 $1,833

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-14.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,208 $2,208

$946 MX$17.6K

133.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.35

-43.88%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 42.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 35% $383

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$555 21.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 42.4% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$321 12.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 60.8% $195

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 26.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$99 * 3.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 74.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 15% $9.4

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 $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $59 in Jacksonville, NC vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $555 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

16:09 4:09 PM

2 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Mexico City 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, NC
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

Jacksonville, NC vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,554 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Jacksonville, NC is about 2.3 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: $1,384 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 78% less than in Jacksonville, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $796 in Jacksonville, NC versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 37% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.