Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,832 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Leiden versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Leiden $2,832
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Leiden versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Leiden $3,974
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Leiden versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Leiden $5,115
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Leiden is roughly 81% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Leiden 110% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$10.75 MX$199

84.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.2

$50.3 MX$929

79.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.12

$11.10 MX$205

22.79%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.39

$3.68 MX$68.1

3.53%

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

$3.48 €3.10

$1.65 MX$30.42

110.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.30 MX$24.08

129.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €6.98

$3.32 MX$61.3

136.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$5.54 MX$102

-7.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.77 MX$32.68

-27.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.05 MX$56.4

-26.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.01 MX$37.20

19.40%

Eggs

$4.70 €4.18

$2.77 MX$51.1

69.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$11.91 MX$220

23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$9.33 MX$172

50.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.37

$15.02 MX$278

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$3.08 MX$56.8

-6.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.95 MX$35.97

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.03 MX$37.54

-2.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$2.21 MX$40.92

113.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.02 MX$37.41

-15.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.82 MX$33.67

8.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.52 MX$28.07

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$1.28 MX$23.65

-44.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.70

$5.27 MX$97.4

149.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.37

$16.12 MX$298

-55.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.95 MX$36.05

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$4.25 MX$78.6

-36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 €2.50

$0.31 MX$5.82

806.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$19.85 MX$367

546.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$2.00 MX$36.93

70.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.96

$0.53 MX$9.86

528.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 €20.00

$5.62 MX$104

300.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.52 MX$28.07

58.55%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

97.89%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

56.49%

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

$279 €249

$62.5 MX$1,155

347.24%

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

$15.47 €13.76

$28.77 MX$532

-46.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.17

$34.45 MX$637

44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.42

$57.1 MX$1,055

-20.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.38 €10.12

$24.81 MX$458

-54.13%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 €12.97

$6.67 MX$123

118.59%

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

$1,769 €1,573

$431 MX$7,964

310.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

12.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$70.8 MX$1,308

61.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 €41.81

$51.8 MX$958

-9.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$109 MX$2,011

5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$112 MX$2,076

24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 €1,537

$1,051 MX$19.4K

64.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,253

$665 MX$12.3K

111.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,239

$2,346 MX$43.3K

7.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,227 MX$22.7K

60.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,369 €6,554

$3,554 MX$65.7K

107.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,856 €5,209

$1,977 MX$36.5K

196.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 €3,544

$975 MX$18.0K

308.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

11.3

-75.22%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 52.8% $744

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.2%

Mexico City

$126 8% 63.5% $219

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$337 11.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 4.3% $14

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Mexico City

$203 13% 36.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$187 6.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 17.4% $32

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 83.8% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.6% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Leiden and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 309% 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: $90.0 in Leiden vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

04:32 4:32 AM

8 h behind Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Leiden Mexico City 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Leiden. 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 309% higher in Leiden, 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: $1,728 in Leiden versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Leiden. 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 $50.0 versus $90.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,832 in Leiden, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Leiden. 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 $1,567 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Leiden and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.