Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $906 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Los Ángeles, Chile
Mexico City, Mexico
Los Ángeles
🇨🇱 Chile
$906
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Los Ángeles vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Ángeles $906
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,361 per month in Los Ángeles vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Ángeles $1,361
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,816 per month in Los Ángeles vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Ángeles $1,816
  • Mexico City $3,490

Los Ángeles is about 44% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Los Ángeles sits 33% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 CLP 11.9K
$10.62 MX$199
13.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.27 CLP 25.1K
$48.35 MX$908
-47.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 CLP 9,898
$10.35 MX$194
-3.77%
Cappuccino
$2.06 CLP 2,042
$3.69 MX$69.3
-44.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 CLP 1,474
$1.67 MX$31.29
-11.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 CLP 1,472
$1.27 MX$23.76
16.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.60 CLP 2,587
$3.19 MX$59.9
-18.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 CLP 3,085
$5.31 MX$99.6
-41.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 CLP 1,189
$1.72 MX$32.38
-30.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 CLP 2,635
$3.04 MX$57.1
-12.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.86 CLP 2,836
$1.94 MX$36.44
47.42%
Eggs
$4.12 CLP 4,092
$2.89 MX$54.2
42.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 CLP 8,139
$10.97 MX$206
-25.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.57 CLP 10.5K
$9.25 MX$174
14.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.00 CLP 13.9K
$15.13 MX$284
-7.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 CLP 2,629
$3.05 MX$57.2
-13.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 CLP 1,585
$1.94 MX$36.45
-17.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.68 CLP 2,667
$2.03 MX$38.02
32.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 CLP 2,166
$2.31 MX$43.46
-5.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 CLP 1,518
$2.04 MX$38.21
-25.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 CLP 1,632
$1.80 MX$33.79
-8.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 CLP 1,355
$1.48 MX$27.77
-8.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 CLP 1,119
$1.27 MX$23.80
-11.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.40 CLP 5,369
$5.30 MX$99.6
1.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.13 CLP 4,107
$16.10 MX$302
-74.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 CLP 970
$1.98 MX$37.23
-50.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.25 MX$79.8
-
🚌 Getting Around
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.49 CLP 491
$0.31 MX$5.73
58.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.73 MX$371
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 CLP 2,029
$1.84 MX$34.50
10.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.53 MX$10.02
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$5.30 MX$99.4
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 CLP 1,223
$1.51 MX$28.36
-18.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21.8K MX$408.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$24.0K MX$450.3K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$121 CLP 120.5K
$63.0 MX$1,182
92.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$27.39 MX$514
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.87 CLP 19.7K
$35.67 MX$670
-44.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$81.3 CLP 80.8K
$58.9 MX$1,107
37.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.17 CLP 10.1K
$23.64 MX$444
-56.98%
Cinema Ticket
$4.35 CLP 4,322
$6.40 MX$120
-32.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$432 MX$8,103
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.4K MX$214.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$68.2 MX$1,281
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$53.1 MX$997
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$108 MX$2,023
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$117 MX$2,202
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$271 CLP 269.3K
$1,113 MX$20.9K
-75.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$219 CLP 217.8K
$710 MX$13.3K
-69.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$440 CLP 436.9K
$2,588 MX$48.6K
-83.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$341 CLP 339.2K
$1,406 MX$26.4K
-75.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,631 MX$68.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,135 MX$40.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Los Ángeles
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$946 MX$17.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
11.35
-

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

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 24, 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 Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$710
Groceries & Markets
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$320
Eating Out
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$199
Clothing & Footwear
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$126
Sport & Entertainment
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$72
Getting Around
Los Ángeles
–
Mexico City
$25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Los Ángeles versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Los Ángeles versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $320 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇱 Los Ángeles
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
12:53 12:53 PM
09:53 9:53 AM
3 h behind Los Ángeles
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
143,023
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 993 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 1,109 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.02 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Los Ángeles Mexico City 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Los Ángeles
  • 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 Ángeles vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Los Ángeles or Mexico City?
Mexico City costs about 77% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Los Ángeles and in Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,360 per month in Los Ángeles and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Los Ángeles or Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $271 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
How much does it cost to live in Los Ángeles compared to Mexico City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $906 in Los Ángeles and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Los Ángeles about 44% cheaper.
Are groceries more expensive in Los Ángeles or in Mexico City?
Groceries cost about 18% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Los Ángeles or in Mexico City?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $906 in Los Ángeles and $1,608 in Mexico City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Los Ángeles or Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $906 in Los Ángeles to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Los Ángeles vs other spots: cost of living compared

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