Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kanazawa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kanazawa
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,277
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,277 per month in Kanazawa vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $1,277
  • Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Kanazawa vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $2,031
  • Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $2,786 per month in Kanazawa vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kanazawa $2,786
  • Mexico City $3,323

Kanazawa is about 17% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kanazawa sits 6% below the global median, while Mexico City is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.64 ¥1,206
$11.02 MX$204
-30.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.61 ¥4,994
$48.68 MX$900
-35.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.73 ¥747
$10.90 MX$201
-56.61%
Cappuccino
$2.26 ¥358
$3.68 MX$68.1
-38.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 ¥180
$1.63 MX$30.18
-30.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ¥91.2
$1.25 MX$23.07
-53.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.03 ¥320
$3.25 MX$60.1
-37.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ¥368
$5.53 MX$102
-57.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 ¥245
$1.70 MX$31.50
-8.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ¥208
$3.02 MX$55.8
-56.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$5.30 ¥837
$1.92 MX$35.53
176.04%
Eggs
$2.07 ¥327
$2.73 MX$50.5
-24.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 ¥1,978
$11.77 MX$218
6.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.41 ¥1,487
$9.53 MX$176
-1.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$31.96 ¥5,049
$14.41 MX$266
121.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.62 ¥572
$3.02 MX$55.8
19.87%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 ¥360
$1.89 MX$35.01
20.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.48 ¥1,024
$1.99 MX$36.70
225.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.14 ¥655
$2.19 MX$40.38
89.04%
Potato (1kg)
$3.73 ¥589
$1.92 MX$35.43
94.27%
Onion (1kg)
$3.42 ¥540
$1.87 MX$34.49
82.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ¥201
$1.44 MX$26.62
-11.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 ¥163
$1.27 MX$23.39
-18.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.55 ¥561
$5.22 MX$96.4
-31.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.40 ¥1,327
$16.17 MX$299
-48.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 ¥310
$1.90 MX$35.03
3.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 ¥239
$4.22 MX$78.0
-63.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 ¥236
$0.34 MX$6.30
338.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.4 ¥8,598
$19.65 MX$363
176.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ¥491
$2.00 MX$36.90
55.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.22 ¥508
$0.52 MX$9.67
519.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.21 ¥4,140
$5.34 MX$98.7
390.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.52 MX$28.13
-26.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.3K ¥3.2M
$22.1K MX$408.0K
-7.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.4K ¥2.6M
$24.5K MX$452.9K
-33.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 ¥23.3K
$61.1 MX$1,129
141.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.34 ¥3,845
$28.58 MX$528
-14.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.30 ¥6,840
$34.47 MX$637
25.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.68 ¥6,743
$56.4 MX$1,042
-24.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.88 MX$460
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 ¥1,812
$6.66 MX$123
72.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$320 ¥50.6K
$427 MX$7,891
-25.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,140 ¥970.0K
$11.6K MX$215.0K
-47.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.59 ¥7,834
$67.8 MX$1,253
-26.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.27 ¥3,993
$52.0 MX$960
-51.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.94 ¥7,258
$106 MX$1,959
-56.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.9 ¥10.3K
$113 MX$2,080
-42.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 ¥85.1K
$1,025 MX$18.9K
-47.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$327 ¥51.6K
$654 MX$12.1K
-50.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,100 ¥173.7K
$2,308 MX$42.7K
-52.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$749 ¥118.3K
$1,242 MX$22.9K
-39.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,294 ¥678.4K
$3,613 MX$66.8K
18.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,742 ¥275.3K
$1,936 MX$35.8K
-9.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kanazawa
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,857 ¥293.4K
$964 MX$17.8K
92.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.28
11.3
-79.82%

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

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kanazawa
$382
Mexico City
$318 16.8% $64
Accommodation & Living
Kanazawa
$327
Mexico City
$654 100% $328
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kanazawa
$215
Mexico City
$124 42.4% $91
Eating Out
Kanazawa
$124
Mexico City
$204 64.3% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Kanazawa
$84
Mexico City
$152 82.2% $69
Getting Around
Kanazawa
$80
Mexico City
$26 67.8% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Kanazawa
$66
Mexico City
$70 6.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $539 in Kanazawa versus $1,025 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 run about 93% higher in Kanazawa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kanazawa versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Kanazawa vs $318 in Mexico City – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Kanazawa
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
10:34 10:34 AM
19:34 7:34 PM
15 h behind Kanazawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
465,699
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kanazawa Mexico City 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kanazawa
  • 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
Kanazawa vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kanazawa and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,277 in Kanazawa, $1,548 in Mexico City – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Kanazawa compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,916 per month in Kanazawa and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kanazawa and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kanazawa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kanazawa or Mexico City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,277 in Kanazawa and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 21%.
How do commuting costs compare in Kanazawa and in Mexico City?
Public transport costs about 177% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kanazawa and Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,277 in Kanazawa to $1,548 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Kanazawa and Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Kanazawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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