Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kailua, HI and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $4,158 in Kailua, HI, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

199

Cost of Living Index in Kailua, HI
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Kailua, HI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Kailua, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$4,158

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,158 in Kailua, HI versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Kailua, HI $4,158
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,091 in Kailua, HI versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Kailua, HI $6,091
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,024 in Kailua, HI versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Kailua, HI $8,024
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Kailua, HI is roughly 159% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kailua, HI 205% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.99 $27.99

$10.62 MX$198

163.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$139 $139

$48.35 MX$901

188.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 $11.68

$10.35 MX$193

12.85%

Cappuccino

$6.44 $6.44

$3.69 MX$68.8

74.53%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.67 MX$31.07

80.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.27 MX$23.59

87.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.40 $9.40

$3.19 MX$59.5

194.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.23 $9.23

$5.31 MX$98.9

73.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.72 MX$32.15

25.58%

White Bread (500g)

$7.58 $7.58

$3.04 MX$56.7

149.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.95 $7.95

$1.94 MX$36.19

309.79%

Eggs

$8.24 $8.24

$2.89 MX$53.8

185.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 $18.83

$10.97 MX$205

71.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.04 $16.04

$9.25 MX$172

73.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.78 $21.78

$15.13 MX$282

43.95%

Apples (1kg)

$7.80 $7.80

$3.05 MX$56.8

155.74%

Banana (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.94 MX$36.19

122.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$2.03 MX$37.75

248.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.39 $9.39

$2.31 MX$43.15

306.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.04 MX$37.94

77.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.80 MX$33.55

169.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.48 MX$27.58

204.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 $3.18

$1.27 MX$23.63

150.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.08 $13.08

$5.30 MX$98.9

146.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$16.10 MX$300

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.98 MX$36.97

35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$4.25 MX$79.3

-50.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.31 MX$5.69

1158.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 $91.1

$19.73 MX$368

361.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.84 MX$34.25

95.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 $2.59

$0.53 MX$9.94

388.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.45 $44.45

$5.30 MX$98.7

738.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.51 MX$28.16

-16.56%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

60.86%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

10.91%

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

$249 $249

$63.0 MX$1,174

295.52%

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

$50.1 $50.1

$27.39 MX$511

82.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$35.67 MX$665

87.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 $70.8

$58.9 MX$1,099

20.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.13 $40.13

$23.64 MX$441

69.75%

Cinema Ticket

$18.73 $18.73

$6.40 MX$119

192.66%

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

$2,109 $2,109

$432 MX$8,045

388.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K $26.9K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

135.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$68.2 MX$1,272

-8.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 $47.57

$53.1 MX$990

-10.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,009

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$117 MX$2,186

10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,725 $2,725

$1,113 MX$20.8K

144.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 $2,351

$710 MX$13.2K

230.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,306 $4,306

$2,588 MX$48.2K

66.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,733 $3,733

$1,406 MX$26.2K

165.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.3K $12.3K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

239.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,638 $9,638

$2,135 MX$39.8K

351.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,764 $4,764

$946 MX$17.6K

403.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.35

-40.97%

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

Last update for Kailua, HI: 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

Kailua, HI

$2.4K 56.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 69.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Kailua, HI

$632 15.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 49.5% $313

Eating Out

Kailua, HI

$423 10.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 53.1% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kailua, HI

$366 8.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 65.6% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Kailua, HI

$154 3.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.2% $1.8

Getting Around

Kailua, HI

$123 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 79.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Kailua, HI

$108 2.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 33.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,725 in Kailua, HI and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kailua, HI pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $139 in Kailua, HI vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $632 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kailua, HI

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

4 h ahead of Kailua, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,975

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 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 = 0.899 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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Kailua, HI Mexico City 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Kailua, HI
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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

Kailua, HI vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 159% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kailua, HI is about 5 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: $2,725 in Kailua, HI 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 Kailua, HI. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,109 in Kailua, HI versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $4,158 in Kailua, HI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Kailua, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 61% less than in Kailua, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.