Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,266 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,266

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,266 in Lexington, KY versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Lexington, KY $2,266
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Lexington, KY versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Lexington, KY $3,326
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Lexington, KY versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Lexington, KY $4,386
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 41% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, KY 66% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 $12.76

$10.62 MX$199

20.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 $57.3

$48.35 MX$906

18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$10.35 MX$194

-13.62%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$3.69 MX$69.2

33.33%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.67 MX$31.23

50.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.27 MX$23.71

66.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.19 MX$59.8

61.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$5.31 MX$99.5

16.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.72 MX$32.32

-57.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.04 MX$57.0

-5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.94 MX$36.38

100.52%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.89 MX$54.1

21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.97 MX$206

-7.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$9.25 MX$173

11.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$15.13 MX$283

-6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.05 MX$57.1

79.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.94 MX$36.38

-20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$2.03 MX$37.95

172.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.31 MX$43.38

92.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.04 MX$38.14

99.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.80 MX$33.73

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.48 MX$27.72

42.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.27 MX$23.75

151.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 $8.81

$5.30 MX$99.4

66.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 $13.18

$16.10 MX$302

-18.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.98 MX$37.16

36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$4.25 MX$79.7

-2.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$0.31 MX$5.72

232.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

$19.73 MX$370

49.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.84 MX$34.44

177.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.51 MX$28.31

-38.41%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.8K MX$407.7K

25.42%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.0K MX$449.5K

9.68%

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

$192 $192

$63.0 MX$1,180

205.24%

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

$108 $108

$27.39 MX$513

292.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$35.67 MX$668

110.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 $27.36

$58.9 MX$1,105

-53.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.72 $29.72

$23.64 MX$443

25.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.94 $14.94

$6.40 MX$120

133.44%

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

$2,240 $2,240

$432 MX$8,088

419.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$11.4K MX$214.1K

120.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$68.2 MX$1,278

-25.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 $31.75

$53.1 MX$996

-40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$108 MX$2,020

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$117 MX$2,198

30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$1,113 MX$20.9K

53.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$710 MX$13.3K

41.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$2,588 MX$48.5K

2.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,406 MX$26.3K

19.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$3,631 MX$68.0K

-36.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$2,135 MX$40.0K

-8.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,152 $4,152

$946 MX$17.7K

338.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.35

-39.91%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$1K 44.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 29.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$385 17%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 17% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$375 16.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 66.4% $249

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$245 10.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 18.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$57 2.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 25.3% $14

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 34.1% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,710 in Lexington, KY and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lexington, KY vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h behind Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Lexington, KY Mexico City 2,510 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Lexington, KY. 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 in Lexington, KY is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $1,710 in Lexington, KY versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $57 in Lexington, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,266 per month in Lexington, KY versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Lexington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.