Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Livingston versus $1,447 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Livingston versus $2,310 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,562 in Livingston versus $3,174 in Mexico City.

Living in Livingston is roughly 52% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Livingston 64% above, Mexico City 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 £15.14

$12.98 MX$223

56.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 £70.6

$52.6 MX$903

80.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 £7.37

$9.43 MX$162

5.09%

Cappuccino

$4.86 £3.61

$3.57 MX$61.3

36.13%

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

$2.74 £2.04

$1.61 MX$27.55

70.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.63

$1.15 MX$19.81

90.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 £5.19

$3.15 MX$54.0

121.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.02

$4.86 MX$83.4

39.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.70 MX$29.17

0.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$2.64 MX$45.23

-34.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 £1.59

$1.90 MX$32.67

12.63%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.68

$2.54 MX$43.62

41.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 £8.03

$10.08 MX$173

7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 £6.78

$8.29 MX$142

10.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 £12.22

$11.57 MX$199

42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.33

$3.03 MX$52.0

3.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.71 MX$29.35

-4.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.93

$2.05 MX$35.16

26.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.77

$2.06 MX$35.36

81.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$2.06 MX$35.43

-14.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$2.17 MX$37.25

-33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.40 MX$24.08

-18.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.12 MX$19.26

54.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.00 £14.13

$4.29 MX$73.7

342.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 £8.00

$15.41 MX$265

-30.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.92

$1.67 MX$28.74

55.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 £2.50

$3.69 MX$63.3

-8.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.24 £2.41

$0.38 MX$6.55

752.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 £56.9

$19.06 MX$327

301.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.95

$1.38 MX$23.70

284.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 £0.94

$0.28 MX$4.74

353.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.37 £16.63

$5.42 MX$92.9

312.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.28 MX$21.98

55.47%

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

$39.0K £29.0K

$19.0K MX$325.8K

105.30%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$23.5K MX$402.7K

69.92%

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

$385 £286

$41.02 MX$704

838.98%

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

$17.70 £13.16

$26.92 MX$462

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.03 £33.48

$29.69 MX$510

51.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 £44.93

$52.3 MX$898

15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.88 £25.19

$26.23 MX$450

29.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 £8.05

$6.18 MX$106

75.08%

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

$1,254 £933

$427 MX$7,331

193.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.6K

$10.7K MX$183.6K

71.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 £79.9

$56.8 MX$975

89.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £40.73

$44.83 MX$769

22.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.5

$105 MX$1,794

10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 £61.6

$106 MX$1,819

-21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 £653

$995 MX$17.1K

-11.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 £583

$621 MX$10.7K

26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 £1,457

$2,126 MX$36.5K

-7.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,157

$1,254 MX$21.5K

24.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,903 MX$67.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 MX$36.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,491 £2,596

$1,107 MX$19.0K

215.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

11.34

-49.74%

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

Last update for Livingston: June 7, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $879 in Livingston and $995 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 215% 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: $95.0 in Livingston vs $53.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $288 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Livingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Livingston pays 215% more on average, 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: $879 in Livingston versus $995 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,254 in Livingston versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,447 in Mexico City versus $2,206 in Livingston, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Livingston. 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 $1,447 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.