Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,594 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,594

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Lima, OH versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Lima, OH $2,594
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,690 in Lima, OH versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Lima, OH $3,690
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,785 in Lima, OH versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Lima, OH $4,785
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 68% 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: Lima, OH 91% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 $22.30

$11.02 MX$204

102.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.3 $77.3

$48.68 MX$900

58.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$10.90 MX$201

11.65%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.68 MX$68.1

50.27%

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

$2.55 $2.55

$1.63 MX$30.18

56.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.25 MX$23.07

62.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.25 MX$60.1

84.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 $6.96

$5.53 MX$102

25.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.70 MX$31.50

-67.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 $3.18

$3.02 MX$55.8

5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$1.92 MX$35.53

179.17%

Eggs

$3.02 $3.02

$2.73 MX$50.5

10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 $8.76

$11.77 MX$218

-25.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$9.53 MX$176

53.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.92 $15.92

$14.41 MX$266

10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.02 MX$55.8

43.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.89 MX$35.01

-40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$1.99 MX$36.70

127.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.19 MX$40.38

100.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.92 MX$35.43

17.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.87 MX$34.49

18.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.44 MX$26.62

35.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.27 MX$23.39

59.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.99 $9.99

$5.22 MX$96.4

91.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$16.17 MX$299

2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.90 MX$35.03

13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$4.22 MX$78.0

-51.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.34 MX$6.30

479.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.37 $42.37

$19.65 MX$363

115.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.00 MX$36.90

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.52 MX$9.67

138.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.59 $26.59

$5.34 MX$98.7

397.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 MX$28.13

-44.08%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

39.18%

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

$23.7K $23.7K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-3.27%

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

$225 $225

$61.1 MX$1,129

268.87%

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

$67.9 $67.9

$28.58 MX$528

137.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 $66.9

$34.47 MX$637

93.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 $42.23

$56.4 MX$1,042

-25.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.94 $47.94

$24.88 MX$460

92.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 $13.05

$6.66 MX$123

95.95%

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

$1,615 $1,615

$427 MX$7,891

278.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K $34.3K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

194.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$67.8 MX$1,253

-25.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.69 $40.69

$52.0 MX$960

-21.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$106 MX$1,959

-22.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$113 MX$2,080

-1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$1,025 MX$18.9K

24.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 $1,257

$654 MX$12.1K

92.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,211 $2,211

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$1,242 MX$22.9K

47.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,393 $1,393

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-61.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,402 $1,402

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-27.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,089 $5,089

$964 MX$17.8K

427.90%

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 Lima, OH: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima, OH

$1.3K 48.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 47.9% $602

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$378 14.6%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 15.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$360 13.9%

Mexico City

$124 8% 65.5% $236

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$343 13.2%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 40.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$128 4.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 19.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$59 2.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 56.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Lima, OH and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays 428% 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: $77.0 in Lima, OH vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $378 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

2 h behind Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

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 →

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Between locations

Lima, OH Mexico City 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima, OH and Mexico City differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($2,594 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 428% higher in Lima, OH, 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: $1,278 in Lima, OH 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 19% higher in Lima, OH. 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 $77.0 in Lima, OH. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,594 in Lima, OH, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Lima, OH. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Lima, OH 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 68% less than in Lima, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.