Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jersey City, NJ and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,854 in Jersey City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Jersey City, NJ
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Jersey City, NJ Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Jersey City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,854

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,854 in Jersey City, NJ versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Jersey City, NJ $3,854
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,348 in Jersey City, NJ versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Jersey City, NJ $5,348
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,841 in Jersey City, NJ versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Jersey City, NJ $6,841
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Jersey City, NJ is roughly 146% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jersey City, NJ 186% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 $25.34

$10.75 MX$199

135.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 $99.9

$50.3 MX$929

98.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 $10.83

$11.10 MX$205

-2.43%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.68 MX$68.1

46.74%

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

$2.17 $2.17

$1.65 MX$30.42

31.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.30 MX$24.08

21.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 $8.11

$3.32 MX$61.3

144.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.18 $8.18

$5.54 MX$102

47.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.77 MX$32.68

-27.12%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.05 MX$56.4

37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$2.01 MX$37.20

277.11%

Eggs

$5.68 $5.68

$2.77 MX$51.1

105.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 $12.52

$11.91 MX$220

5.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$9.33 MX$172

25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.29 $17.29

$15.02 MX$278

15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.08 MX$56.8

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.95 MX$35.97

-11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$2.03 MX$37.54

217.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.21 MX$40.92

177.38%

Potato (1kg)

$5.66 $5.66

$2.02 MX$37.41

180.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.82 MX$33.67

109.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.52 MX$28.07

90.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.28 MX$23.65

119.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.19 $11.19

$5.27 MX$97.4

112.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.79 $24.79

$16.12 MX$298

53.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.95 MX$36.05

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 $5.51

$4.25 MX$78.6

29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.31 MX$5.82

890.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$19.85 MX$367

432.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.00 MX$36.93

47.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$0.53 MX$9.86

277.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.20 $24.20

$5.62 MX$104

330.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.52 MX$28.07

-26.32%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

74.79%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

2.33%

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

$209 $209

$62.5 MX$1,155

234.97%

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

$73.2 $73.2

$28.77 MX$532

154.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$34.45 MX$637

88.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 $56.3

$57.1 MX$1,055

-1.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.47 $43.47

$24.81 MX$458

75.21%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 $14.60

$6.67 MX$123

118.89%

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

$2,245 $2,245

$431 MX$7,964

420.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

101.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.50 $41.50

$70.8 MX$1,308

-41.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 $58.2

$51.8 MX$958

12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 $74.8

$109 MX$2,011

-31.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 $155

$112 MX$2,076

37.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,501 $3,501

$1,051 MX$19.4K

233.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,282 $2,282

$665 MX$12.3K

243.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,540 $5,540

$2,346 MX$43.3K

136.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,248 $3,248

$1,227 MX$22.7K

164.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,779 $7,779

$3,554 MX$65.7K

118.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,595 $5,595

$1,977 MX$36.5K

183.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,205 $6,205

$975 MX$18.0K

536.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.3

-40.27%

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

Last update for Jersey City, NJ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jersey City, NJ

$2.3K 59.2%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 70.9% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Jersey City, NJ

$488 12.7%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 33.9% $166

Eating Out

Jersey City, NJ

$372 9.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 45.4% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jersey City, NJ

$347 9%

Mexico City

$126 8% 63.8% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Jersey City, NJ

$148 3.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 4.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Jersey City, NJ

$131 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 80.3% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Jersey City, NJ

$85 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 17.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,501 in Jersey City, NJ and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jersey City, NJ pays 537% 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: $100 in Jersey City, NJ vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jersey City, NJ

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

2 h behind Jersey City, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,449

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Jersey City, NJ Mexico City 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jersey City, NJ
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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

Jersey City, NJ vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 146% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 537% higher in Jersey City, NJ, 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: $3,501 in Jersey City, NJ versus $1,051 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 433% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,245 in Jersey City, NJ versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,854 in Jersey City, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Jersey City, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jersey City, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.