Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,576

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,576 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Knoxville, TN $2,576
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,786 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Knoxville, TN $3,786
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,997 in Knoxville, TN versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Knoxville, TN $4,997
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 66% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Knoxville, TN 90% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 $17.71

$11.02 MX$204

60.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$48.68 MX$900

53.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 $9.86

$10.90 MX$201

-9.54%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.68 MX$68.1

46.20%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.63 MX$30.18

73.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.25 MX$23.07

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.36 $6.36

$3.25 MX$60.1

95.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 $6.60

$5.53 MX$102

19.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.70 MX$31.50

-37.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.02 MX$55.8

14.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.92 MX$35.53

137.50%

Eggs

$4.46 $4.46

$2.73 MX$50.5

63.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.77 MX$218

-14.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$9.53 MX$176

-3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 $14.91

$14.41 MX$266

3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.02 MX$55.8

133.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.89 MX$35.01

-17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.99 MX$36.70

44.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.19 MX$40.38

154.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.92 MX$35.43

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$1.87 MX$34.49

133.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.44 MX$26.62

54.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.27 MX$23.39

72.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.99 $8.99

$5.22 MX$96.4

72.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$16.17 MX$299

-5.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.90 MX$35.03

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$4.22 MX$78.0

-25.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.34 MX$6.30

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.58 $29.58

$19.65 MX$363

50.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.00 MX$36.90

155.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.52 MX$9.67

190.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.87 $29.87

$5.34 MX$98.7

459.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 MX$28.13

-33.55%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

26.21%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

11.32%

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

$223 $223

$61.1 MX$1,129

265.65%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$28.58 MX$528

160.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 $53.1

$34.47 MX$637

54.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.37 $29.37

$56.4 MX$1,042

-47.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.90 $21.90

$24.88 MX$460

-11.98%

Cinema Ticket

$15.20 $15.20

$6.66 MX$123

128.23%

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

$1,246 $1,246

$427 MX$7,891

191.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

110.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.53 $45.53

$52.0 MX$960

-12.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$106 MX$1,959

5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$113 MX$2,080

9.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,025 MX$18.9K

76.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$654 MX$12.1K

96.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,901 $2,901

$2,308 MX$42.7K

25.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,144 $2,144

$1,242 MX$22.9K

72.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,681 $4,681

$3,613 MX$66.8K

29.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,243 $2,243

$1,936 MX$35.8K

15.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,622 $3,622

$964 MX$17.8K

275.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.3

-41.24%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knoxville, TN

$1.3K 49.8%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 49.1% $630

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$383 14.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 16.9% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$351 13.6%

Mexico City

$124 8% 64.6% $227

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$303 11.8%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 32.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 2.2% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$60 2.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 16.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$46 1.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 44.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,811 in Knoxville, TN and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays 276% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Knoxville, TN vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

2 h behind Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Knoxville, TN Mexico City 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, 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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Knoxville, TN, 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: $1,811 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $75.0 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,576 in Knoxville, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Knoxville, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Knoxville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.