Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,185 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,529 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 106% 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: Long Beach, CA 135% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$11.02 MX$204

78.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$48.68 MX$900

61.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$10.90 MX$201

32.84%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.68 MX$68.1

67.66%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$1.63 MX$30.18

100.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.25 MX$23.07

98.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$3.25 MX$60.1

129.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$5.53 MX$102

75.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.70 MX$31.50

-38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.02 MX$55.8

36.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$1.92 MX$35.53

142.19%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.73 MX$50.5

69.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$11.77 MX$218

11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$9.53 MX$176

49.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$14.41 MX$266

5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.02 MX$55.8

56.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.89 MX$35.01

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.99 MX$36.70

141.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.19 MX$40.38

121.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.92 MX$35.43

80.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.87 MX$34.49

19.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.44 MX$26.62

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.27 MX$23.39

44.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$5.22 MX$96.4

121.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$16.17 MX$299

-6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.90 MX$35.03

1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.22 MX$78.0

-22.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.34 MX$6.30

417.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$19.65 MX$363

250.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.00 MX$36.90

46.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.52 MX$9.67

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$5.34 MX$98.7

429.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 MX$28.13

1.32%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

29.18%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

5.95%

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

$169 $169

$61.1 MX$1,129

176.22%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$28.58 MX$528

131.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$34.47 MX$637

74.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$56.4 MX$1,042

-29.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$6.66 MX$123

122.82%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$427 MX$7,891

347.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

210.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$67.8 MX$1,253

-13.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$52.0 MX$960

-22.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$106 MX$1,959

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$113 MX$2,080

26.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,025 MX$18.9K

100.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$654 MX$12.1K

177.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$2,308 MX$42.7K

59.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$1,242 MX$22.9K

178.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$3,613 MX$66.8K

105.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$1,936 MX$35.8K

244.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$964 MX$17.8K

358.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

11.3

-43.45%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 63.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 23.1% $96

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 42.5% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 58% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 1.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 71.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 0.8% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays 358% 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: $79.0 in Long Beach, CA vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Long Beach, CA Mexico City 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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

Long Beach, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, CA and Mexico City differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($3,185 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 358% higher in Long Beach, CA, 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: $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,025 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 $49.00 versus $79.0 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,185 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.