Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,290 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,290 per month in Kyoto vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kyoto $1,290
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,932 per month in Kyoto vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kyoto $1,932
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $2,574 per month in Kyoto vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Kyoto $2,574
Mexico City $3,490

Kyoto is about 20% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Kyoto sits 5% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 ¥1,542

$10.62 MX$198

-8.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.34 ¥5,106

$48.35 MX$901

-33.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥807

$10.35 MX$193

-50.63%

Cappuccino

$3.22 ¥508

$3.69 MX$68.8

-12.74%

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

$0.89 ¥141

$1.67 MX$31.07

-46.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥112

$1.27 MX$23.59

-44.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ¥509

$3.19 MX$59.5

0.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ¥924

$5.31 MX$98.9

10.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥245

$1.72 MX$32.15

-9.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥254

$3.04 MX$56.7

-47.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.84 ¥923

$1.94 MX$36.19

201.03%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥333

$2.89 MX$53.8

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 ¥1,395

$10.97 MX$205

-19.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.92 ¥1,251

$9.25 MX$172

-14.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$15.13 MX$282

-29.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 ¥819

$3.05 MX$56.8

70.16%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 ¥374

$1.94 MX$36.19

22.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥813

$2.03 MX$37.75

153.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 ¥582

$2.31 MX$43.15

59.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ¥295

$2.04 MX$37.94

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.80 MX$33.55

-7.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥180

$1.48 MX$27.58

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$1.27 MX$23.63

-25.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.04 ¥639

$5.30 MX$98.9

-23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ¥1,221

$16.10 MX$300

-51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥255

$1.98 MX$36.97

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ¥531

$4.25 MX$79.3

-20.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥225

$0.31 MX$5.69

358.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 ¥9,804

$19.73 MX$368

214.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ¥520

$1.84 MX$34.25

79.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.88 ¥612

$0.53 MX$9.94

632.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.51 MX$28.16

-27.15%

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

$22.7K ¥3.6M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

4.43%

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

$15.5K ¥2.4M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-35.41%

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

$101 ¥16.0K

$63.0 MX$1,174

60.61%

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

$23.51 ¥3,712

$27.39 MX$511

-14.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.41 ¥4,801

$35.67 MX$665

-14.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ¥8,145

$58.9 MX$1,099

-12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.87 ¥2,980

$23.64 MX$441

-20.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.72 ¥2,166

$6.40 MX$119

114.38%

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

$718 ¥113.4K

$432 MX$8,045

66.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,490 ¥1.0M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-43.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 ¥8,956

$68.2 MX$1,272

-16.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 ¥7,116

$53.1 MX$990

-15.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ¥11.1K

$108 MX$2,009

-34.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ¥16.1K

$117 MX$2,186

-12.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 ¥100.7K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-42.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 ¥59.9K

$710 MX$13.2K

-46.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 ¥185.6K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-54.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 ¥91.1K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-58.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,226 ¥667.2K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

16.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 ¥461.2K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

36.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 ¥295.6K

$946 MX$17.6K

97.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

11.35

-80.35%

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

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyoto

$379 29.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 87.3% $331

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$296 22.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 8% $24

Eating Out

Kyoto

$166 12.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 19.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$155 12%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 18.7% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$123 9.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26.3% $32

Getting Around

Kyoto

$90 7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 71.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$79 6.1%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 9.2% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $638 in Kyoto versus $1,113 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 98% higher in Kyoto, 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 in Kyoto versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $320 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:11 12:11 AM

09:11 9:11 AM

15 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kyoto Mexico City 11,640 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

Kyoto vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,290 in Kyoto, $1,608 in Mexico City – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,934 per month in Kyoto and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Kyoto and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,290 in Kyoto and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kyoto costs $1,290 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.