Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lincoln, NE and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,208 in Lincoln, NE, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln, NE
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Lincoln, NE Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Lincoln, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,208

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,208 in Lincoln, NE versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Lincoln, NE $2,208
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,239 in Lincoln, NE versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Lincoln, NE $3,239
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Lincoln, NE versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Lincoln, NE $4,270
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Lincoln, NE is roughly 37% 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: Lincoln, NE 62% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 $20.26

$10.62 MX$200

90.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$48.35 MX$909

63.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 $12.17

$10.35 MX$194

17.58%

Cappuccino

$5.66 $5.66

$3.69 MX$69.4

53.39%

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

$2.33 $2.33

$1.67 MX$31.32

39.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.27 MX$23.78

37.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.19 MX$60.0

60.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.17 $9.17

$5.31 MX$99.7

72.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.72 MX$32.41

-47.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$3.04 MX$57.1

5.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.94 MX$36.48

225.77%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.89 MX$54.3

55.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$10.97 MX$206

4.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 $8.43

$9.25 MX$174

-8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.82 $14.82

$15.13 MX$284

-2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$7.00 $7.00

$3.05 MX$57.3

129.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.94 MX$36.48

8.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$2.03 MX$38.06

191.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.31 MX$43.50

89.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.04 MX$38.25

65.20%

Onion (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.80 MX$33.83

106.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.48 MX$27.80

26.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.27 MX$23.82

110.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.19 $9.19

$5.30 MX$99.7

73.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.30 $17.30

$16.10 MX$303

7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.98 MX$37.27

-6.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$4.25 MX$79.9

-39.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 $1.23

$0.31 MX$5.73

296.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.91 $16.91

$19.73 MX$371

-14.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 $5.06

$1.84 MX$34.53

175.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$0.53 MX$10.03

258.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.14 $35.14

$5.30 MX$99.5

563.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.51 MX$28.39

-34.44%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

26.65%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

6.54%

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

$144 $144

$63.0 MX$1,184

128.47%

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

$47.84 $47.84

$27.39 MX$515

74.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$35.67 MX$670

83.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 $41.55

$58.9 MX$1,108

-29.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.15 $26.15

$23.64 MX$444

10.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.08 $15.08

$6.40 MX$120

135.63%

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

$834 $834

$432 MX$8,111

93.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.84 $48.84

$68.2 MX$1,282

-28.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 $35.07

$53.1 MX$999

-33.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$108 MX$2,026

-18.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$117 MX$2,204

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 $956

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 $982

$710 MX$13.4K

38.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-16.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$1,406 MX$26.4K

3.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,484 $2,484

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-31.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,767 $1,767

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-17.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,834 $3,834

$946 MX$17.8K

305.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.35

-43.88%

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

Last update for Lincoln, NE: 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

Lincoln, NE

$982 44.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 27.7% $272

Groceries & Markets

Lincoln, NE

$404 18.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 21% $85

Eating Out

Lincoln, NE

$327 14.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 39.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lincoln, NE

$257 11.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 51% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Lincoln, NE

$130 5.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 20.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Lincoln, NE

$72 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Lincoln, NE

$36 1.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 30% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Lincoln, NE and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln, NE pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Lincoln, NE vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lincoln, NE

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

Same time as Lincoln, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,348

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lincoln, NE Mexico City 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lincoln, NE
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

Lincoln, NE vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Lincoln, NE. 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 Lincoln, NE is about 4.1 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: $956 in Lincoln, NE 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 $79 in Lincoln, NE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,208 per month in Lincoln, NE versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 27% 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Lincoln, NE on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.