Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaganda and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $926 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Karaganda
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
$926
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $926 per month in Karaganda vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Karaganda $926
  • Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,492 per month in Karaganda vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Karaganda $1,492
  • Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $2,058 per month in Karaganda vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Karaganda $2,058
  • Mexico City $3,333

Karaganda is about 41% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karaganda sits 31% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.85 ₸4,452
$10.75 MX$199
-8.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.09 ₸15.9K
$50.3 MX$929
-30.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 ₸2,453
$11.10 MX$205
-51.08%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ₸869
$3.68 MX$68.1
-47.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ₸413
$1.65 MX$30.42
-44.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₸290
$1.30 MX$24.08
-50.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.36 ₸617
$3.32 MX$61.3
-59.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 ₸1,267
$5.54 MX$102
-49.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 ₸605
$1.77 MX$32.68
-24.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.49 ₸222
$3.05 MX$56.4
-83.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.32 ₸597
$2.01 MX$37.20
-34.33%
Eggs
$1.79 ₸808
$2.77 MX$51.1
-35.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 ₸5,929
$11.91 MX$220
10.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 ₸2,442
$9.33 MX$172
-42.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.19 ₸5,060
$15.02 MX$278
-25.50%
Apples (1kg)
$1.49 ₸673
$3.08 MX$56.8
-51.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 ₸856
$1.95 MX$35.97
-3.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 ₸1,299
$2.03 MX$37.54
41.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 ₸979
$2.21 MX$40.92
-1.81%
Potato (1kg)
$0.67 ₸301
$2.02 MX$37.41
-66.83%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ₸267
$1.82 MX$33.67
-67.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ₸467
$1.52 MX$28.07
-32.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₸310
$1.28 MX$23.65
-46.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₸1,016
$5.27 MX$97.4
-57.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.43 ₸3,813
$16.12 MX$298
-47.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₸610
$1.95 MX$36.05
-30.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₸957
$4.25 MX$78.6
-50.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 ₸94.9
$0.31 MX$5.82
-32.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.75 ₸7,119
$19.85 MX$367
-20.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.26 ₸568
$2.00 MX$36.93
-37.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 ₸541
$0.53 MX$9.86
126.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.31 ₸1,496
$5.62 MX$104
-41.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.56 ₸254
$1.52 MX$28.07
-63.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.0K ₸10.0M
$21.0K MX$388.7K
4.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.9K ₸14.4M
$25.2K MX$465.3K
26.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.2 ₸32.7K
$62.5 MX$1,155
15.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.01 ₸4,523
$28.77 MX$532
-65.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.86 ₸5,360
$34.45 MX$637
-65.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.00 ₸20.8K
$57.1 MX$1,055
-19.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.82 ₸8,505
$24.81 MX$458
-24.14%
Cinema Ticket
$5.34 ₸2,416
$6.67 MX$123
-19.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$135 ₸60.8K
$431 MX$7,964
-68.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.7K MX$216.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.9 ₸26.6K
$70.8 MX$1,308
-16.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.8 ₸26.1K
$51.8 MX$958
11.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.1 ₸35.8K
$109 MX$2,011
-27.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.6 ₸38.7K
$112 MX$2,076
-23.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 ₸178.2K
$1,051 MX$19.4K
-62.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$273 ₸123.2K
$665 MX$12.3K
-59.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 ₸333.5K
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-68.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$536 ₸242.3K
$1,227 MX$22.7K
-56.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,053 ₸476.1K
$3,554 MX$65.7K
-70.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$711 ₸321.5K
$1,977 MX$36.5K
-64.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karaganda
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$569 ₸257.3K
$975 MX$18.0K
-41.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
19.25
11.3
70.35%

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

Last update for Karaganda: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Karaganda
$273
Mexico City
$665 144% $392
Groceries & Markets
Karaganda
$215
Mexico City
$323 50% $107
Eating Out
Karaganda
$137
Mexico City
$203 48.4% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Karaganda
$127
Mexico City
$155 22.2% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karaganda
$94
Mexico City
$126 33.6% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Karaganda
$57
Mexico City
$70 24.3% $14
Getting Around
Karaganda
$24
Mexico City
$26 8.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Karaganda versus $1,051 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 71% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Karaganda versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $323 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇿 Karaganda
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
15:17 3:17 PM
03:17 3:17 AM
12 h behind Karaganda
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
520,486
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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
  • Karaganda Mexico City 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karaganda
  • 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
Karaganda vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Karaganda and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $926 in Karaganda, $1,567 in Mexico City – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Karaganda compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,389 per month in Karaganda and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Karaganda and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karaganda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Karaganda and in Mexico City?
Public transport costs about 26% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Karaganda and Mexico City?
Kindergarten costs $135 per month in Karaganda and $431 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $926, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Karaganda 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 Karaganda and Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $926 in Karaganda to $1,567 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Karaganda and Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. 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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