Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,297 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingston
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,297
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,297 per month in Kingston vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kingston $2,297
  • Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Kingston vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kingston $3,179
  • Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Kingston vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Kingston $4,062
  • Mexico City $3,323

Kingston costs about 48% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kingston and Mexico City sit above the global median – Kingston by 70%, Mexico City by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.68 CA$22.16
$11.02 MX$204
42.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.5 CA$89.8
$48.68 MX$900
30.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.52 CA$14.87
$10.90 MX$201
-3.49%
Cappuccino
$3.51 CA$4.96
$3.68 MX$68.1
-4.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CA$2.96
$1.63 MX$30.18
28.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 CA$1.85
$1.25 MX$23.07
4.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.65 CA$7.98
$3.25 MX$60.1
73.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.19 CA$8.75
$5.53 MX$102
11.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.25 CA$3.18
$1.70 MX$31.50
32.35%
White Bread (500g)
$2.62 CA$3.70
$3.02 MX$55.8
-13.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.00 CA$4.24
$1.92 MX$35.53
56.25%
Eggs
$2.93 CA$4.14
$2.73 MX$50.5
7.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.43 CA$14.75
$11.77 MX$218
-11.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.77 CA$16.63
$9.53 MX$176
23.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.35 CA$16.04
$14.41 MX$266
-21.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$3.02 MX$55.8
-1.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.16 CA$1.64
$1.89 MX$35.01
-38.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.48 CA$4.92
$1.99 MX$36.70
74.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.80 CA$5.37
$2.19 MX$40.38
73.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$1.92 MX$35.43
55.21%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 CA$3.57
$1.87 MX$34.49
35.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.15 CA$3.03
$1.44 MX$26.62
49.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.60 CA$2.27
$1.27 MX$23.39
25.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.24 CA$20.13
$5.22 MX$96.4
172.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.74 CA$18.01
$16.17 MX$299
-21.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 CA$3.17
$1.90 MX$35.03
17.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 CA$4.21
$4.22 MX$78.0
-29.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.44 CA$3.44
$0.34 MX$6.30
617.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.8 CA$81.7
$19.65 MX$363
194.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.35 CA$4.74
$2.00 MX$36.90
67.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.41 CA$1.99
$0.52 MX$9.67
171.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.42 CA$45.84
$5.34 MX$98.7
507.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 CA$1.59
$1.52 MX$28.13
-25.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K CA$39.5K
$22.1K MX$408.0K
26.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.8K CA$29.5K
$24.5K MX$452.9K
-15.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 CA$184
$61.1 MX$1,129
113.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.13 CA$55.3
$28.58 MX$528
36.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$61.6 CA$87.1
$34.47 MX$637
78.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.11 CA$41.16
$56.4 MX$1,042
-48.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.76 CA$12.38
$24.88 MX$460
-64.79%
Cinema Ticket
$10.66 CA$15.07
$6.66 MX$123
60.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$525 CA$742
$427 MX$7,891
22.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.6K MX$215.0K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 CA$75.5
$67.8 MX$1,253
-21.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.73 CA$44.86
$52.0 MX$960
-38.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.4 CA$111
$106 MX$1,959
-26.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.8 CA$116
$113 MX$2,080
-27.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,512 CA$2,137
$1,025 MX$18.9K
47.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 CA$1,751
$654 MX$12.1K
89.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,329 CA$3,293
$2,308 MX$42.7K
0.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,684 CA$2,380
$1,242 MX$22.9K
35.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,402 CA$4,810
$3,613 MX$66.8K
-5.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,433 CA$3,439
$1,936 MX$35.8K
25.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingston
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,099 CA$4,382
$964 MX$17.8K
221.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.61
11.3
-59.20%

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

Last update for Kingston: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kingston
$1.2K
Mexico City
$654 47.2% $584
Groceries & Markets
Kingston
$336
Mexico City
$318 5.3% $18
Eating Out
Kingston
$253
Mexico City
$204 19.5% $49
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
$231
Mexico City
$124 46.2% $107
Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
$110
Mexico City
$152 37.9% $42
Getting Around
Kingston
$78
Mexico City
$26 67.1% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
$50
Mexico City
$70 38.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,512 in Kingston 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 221% higher in Kingston, 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 $64.0 in Kingston versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Kingston
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
22:30 10:30 PM
20:30 8:30 PM
2 h behind Kingston
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,363
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 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
  • Kingston Mexico City 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingston
  • 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
Kingston vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kingston and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,297 in Kingston, $1,548 in Mexico City – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Kingston compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,446 per month in Kingston 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 Kingston and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, 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: Kingston or Mexico City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,297 in Kingston and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 48%.
How do commuting costs compare in Kingston and in Mexico City?
Public transport costs about 194% less in Mexico City. 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 Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Kingston at $2,297. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kingston it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Kingston and Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,297 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Kingston or Mexico City safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Kingston and Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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