Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
Learn more

Los Angeles, CA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,060

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Los Angeles, CA $4,060
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,104 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Los Angeles, CA $6,104
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,148 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Los Angeles, CA $8,148
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 153% 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: Los Angeles, CA 198% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.02 $27.02

$10.62 MX$198

154.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 $121

$48.35 MX$901

150.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 $15.21

$10.35 MX$193

46.96%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$3.69 MX$68.8

56.64%

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

$3.79 $3.79

$1.67 MX$31.07

126.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.27 MX$23.59

111.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 $7.76

$3.19 MX$59.5

143.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 $9.98

$5.31 MX$98.9

87.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.72 MX$32.15

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.04 MX$56.7

53.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$1.94 MX$36.19

136.08%

Eggs

$5.35 $5.35

$2.89 MX$53.8

85.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.27 $11.27

$10.97 MX$205

2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.16 $16.16

$9.25 MX$172

74.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.42 $19.42

$15.13 MX$282

28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.05 MX$56.8

71.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.94 MX$36.19

20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.03 MX$37.75

127.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$2.31 MX$43.15

140.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$2.04 MX$37.94

65.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.80 MX$33.55

62.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.48 MX$27.58

31.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.27 MX$23.63

91.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$5.30 MX$98.9

126.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$16.10 MX$300

-6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.98 MX$36.97

48.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$4.25 MX$79.3

-36.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.31 MX$5.69

454.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 $105

$19.73 MX$368

430.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.84 MX$34.25

65.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$0.53 MX$9.94

252.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.19 $32.19

$5.30 MX$98.7

507.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.51 MX$28.16

3.97%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

58.54%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

12.36%

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

$280 $280

$63.0 MX$1,174

345.00%

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

$78.4 $78.4

$27.39 MX$511

186.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.1 $79.1

$35.67 MX$665

121.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 $71.2

$58.9 MX$1,099

20.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.21 $12.21

$23.64 MX$441

-48.35%

Cinema Ticket

$18.32 $18.32

$6.40 MX$119

186.25%

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

$1,722 $1,722

$432 MX$8,045

299.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K $31.7K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

177.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 $91.6

$68.2 MX$1,272

34.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$53.1 MX$990

23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$108 MX$2,009

8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 $210

$117 MX$2,186

79.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,547 $2,547

$1,113 MX$20.8K

128.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 $2,295

$710 MX$13.2K

222.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,372 $5,372

$2,588 MX$48.2K

107.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,158 $4,158

$1,406 MX$26.2K

195.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,171 $7,171

$3,631 MX$67.7K

97.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,923 $6,923

$2,135 MX$39.8K

224.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,204 $4,204

$946 MX$17.6K

344.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.35

-39.56%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.3K 56.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 69% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$462 11.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 30.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$438 10.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 71.2% $312

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$416 10.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 52.2% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 28.5% $62

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 3.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 79.5% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$108 2.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 33.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $121 in Los Angeles, CA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $462 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Angeles, CA Mexico City 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, 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

Los Angeles, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Los Angeles, CA is about 4.4 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: $2,547 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 81% less than in Los Angeles, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,722 in Los Angeles, CA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $4,060 in Los Angeles, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.