Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,974 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,974

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,974 per month in Lija vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lija $1,974
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $3,101 per month in Lija vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lija $3,101
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $4,228 per month in Lija vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Lija $4,228
Mexico City $3,490

Lija costs about 23% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lija and Mexico City sit above the global median – Lija by 45%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.47 €20.05

$10.62 MX$199

111.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.9

$48.35 MX$906

87.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.89

$10.35 MX$194

28.79%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.86

$3.69 MX$69.2

-13.28%

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

$2.34 €2.08

$1.67 MX$31.23

40.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.27 MX$23.71

51.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.10

$3.19 MX$59.8

79.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$5.31 MX$99.5

27.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.72 MX$32.32

-23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.04 MX$57.0

-51.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 €3.05

$1.94 MX$36.38

76.29%

Eggs

$4.23 €3.78

$2.89 MX$54.1

46.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 €9.18

$10.97 MX$206

-6.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.83 €10.55

$9.25 MX$173

27.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.44 €16.46

$15.13 MX$283

21.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$3.05 MX$57.1

22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.94 MX$36.38

44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 €3.54

$2.03 MX$37.95

95.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.31 MX$43.38

66.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.04 MX$38.14

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.80 MX$33.73

86.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.48 MX$27.72

49.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.27 MX$23.75

17.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.18 €5.52

$5.30 MX$99.4

16.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.85 €5.22

$16.10 MX$302

-63.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.98 MX$37.16

20.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$4.25 MX$79.7

-46.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.18

$0.31 MX$5.72

690.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.84 MX$34.44

116.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.53 MX$10.00

232.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 €29.26

$5.30 MX$99.2

518.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.51 MX$28.31

0.66%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$21.8K MX$407.7K

29.42%

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

$38.9K €34.8K

$24.0K MX$449.5K

62.38%

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

$157 €140

$63.0 MX$1,180

149.46%

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

$31.50 €28.10

$27.39 MX$513

15.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.99 €25.87

$35.67 MX$668

-18.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 €50.6

$58.9 MX$1,105

-3.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 €10.11

$6.40 MX$120

77.03%

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

$272 €243

$432 MX$8,088

-36.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$11.4K MX$214.1K

7.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 €51.5

$68.2 MX$1,278

-15.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.3

$53.1 MX$996

27.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.0

$108 MX$2,020

2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$117 MX$2,198

11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,075

$1,113 MX$20.9K

8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 €741

$710 MX$13.3K

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,363

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-40.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 €1,336

$1,406 MX$26.3K

6.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,448 €3,969

$3,631 MX$68.0K

22.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,958 €2,639

$2,135 MX$40.0K

38.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

11.35

-64.32%

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

Last update for Lija: 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

Lija

$830 42.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 14.4% $120

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$341 17.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 6.4% $22

Eating Out

Lija

$317 16.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 37.4% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$218 11%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 42.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 5.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$79 4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 9.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Lija

$23 * 1.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 12.9% $2.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,205 in Lija 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Lija versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $320 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

7 h behind Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lija Mexico City 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,974 in Lija, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,961 per month in Lija and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,205 in Lija and $1,113 in Mexico City. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,974 in Lija and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $272 per month in Lija and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,974 in Lija and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,974 in Lija. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.