Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johnson City, TN and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,138 in Johnson City, TN, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Johnson City, TN
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Johnson City, TN Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Johnson City, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,138

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,138 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $2,138
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,133 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $3,133
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,129 per month in Johnson City, TN vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Johnson City, TN $4,129
Mexico City $3,490

Johnson City, TN costs about 33% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Johnson City, TN and Mexico City sit above the global median – Johnson City, TN by 57%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.78 $13.78

$10.62 MX$198

29.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 $53.9

$48.35 MX$901

11.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.35 MX$193

-4.54%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.69 MX$68.8

39.30%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.67 MX$31.07

72.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.27 MX$23.59

59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$3.19 MX$59.5

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$5.31 MX$98.9

13.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.72 MX$32.15

-43.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.04 MX$56.7

23.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.94 MX$36.19

104.64%

Eggs

$3.11 $3.11

$2.89 MX$53.8

7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 $7.53

$10.97 MX$205

-31.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 $13.67

$9.25 MX$172

47.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$15.13 MX$282

-13.48%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 $7.59

$3.05 MX$56.8

148.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.94 MX$36.19

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.03 MX$37.75

101.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$2.31 MX$43.15

58.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.04 MX$37.94

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.80 MX$33.55

141.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.48 MX$27.58

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.27 MX$23.63

85.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.30 MX$98.9

70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.14 $13.14

$16.10 MX$300

-18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.98 MX$36.97

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 $4.42

$4.25 MX$79.3

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.31 MX$5.69

212.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.13 $25.13

$19.73 MX$368

27.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 $5.58

$1.84 MX$34.25

203.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$0.53 MX$9.94

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.19 $15.19

$5.30 MX$98.7

186.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.51 MX$28.16

-45.03%

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

$30.0K $30.0K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

37.91%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

3.02%

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

$172 $172

$63.0 MX$1,174

173.37%

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

$51.9 $51.9

$27.39 MX$511

89.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 $62.5

$35.67 MX$665

75.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 $47.20

$58.9 MX$1,099

-19.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$23.64 MX$441

-14.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.88 $11.88

$6.40 MX$119

85.63%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$432 MX$8,045

174.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K $14.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

27.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.41 $37.41

$68.2 MX$1,272

-45.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.80 $30.80

$53.1 MX$990

-42.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 $87.4

$108 MX$2,009

-18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 $94.4

$117 MX$2,186

-19.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 $1,178

$1,113 MX$20.8K

5.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$980 $980

$710 MX$13.2K

37.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,992 $1,992

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-23.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$1,406 MX$26.2K

14.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-32.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,033 $2,033

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-4.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 $3,584

$946 MX$17.6K

278.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.35

-42.82%

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

Last update for Johnson City, TN: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johnson City, TN

$980 45.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 27.5% $270

Groceries & Markets

Johnson City, TN

$388 18.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 17.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johnson City, TN

$287 13.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 56% $160

Eating Out

Johnson City, TN

$258 12.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 23% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Johnson City, TN

$113 5.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 38.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Johnson City, TN

$71 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 1.1% $0.8

Getting Around

Johnson City, TN

$42 2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 39.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,178 in Johnson City, TN versus $1,113 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.

Salaries in Johnson City, TN are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Johnson City, TN

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

15:38 3:38 PM

2 h behind Johnson City, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,027

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 →

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Between locations

Johnson City, TN Mexico City 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Johnson City, TN
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

Johnson City, TN vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johnson City, TN is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,207 per month in Johnson City, TN and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,178 in Johnson City, TN and $1,113 in Mexico City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Johnson City, TN and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,138 in Johnson City, TN and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 25% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,138 in Johnson City, TN and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johnson City, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.