Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machala and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $656 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Machala
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Machala Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$656

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $656 in Machala versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Machala $656
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,046 in Machala versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Machala $1,046
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,435 in Machala versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Machala $1,435
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Machala costs roughly 59% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Machala is 52% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.81 $2.81

$10.62 MX$199

-73.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.28 $25.28

$48.35 MX$906

-47.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 $5.21

$10.35 MX$194

-49.66%

Cappuccino

$2.68 $2.68

$3.69 MX$69.2

-27.37%

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

$0.86 $0.86

$1.67 MX$31.23

-48.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.27 MX$23.71

-43.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 $2.03

$3.19 MX$59.8

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 $3.69

$5.31 MX$99.5

-30.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.72 MX$32.32

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.04 MX$57.0

-65.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.94 MX$36.38

-53.09%

Eggs

$1.49 $1.49

$2.89 MX$54.1

-48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$10.97 MX$206

-70.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$9.25 MX$173

-54.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$15.13 MX$283

-68.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.05 MX$57.1

-51.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.94 MX$36.38

-69.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.03 MX$37.95

-62.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$2.31 MX$43.38

-74.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 $0.41

$2.04 MX$38.14

-79.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.80 MX$33.73

-73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 $0.39

$1.48 MX$27.72

-73.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 MX$23.75

-22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 $4.37

$5.30 MX$99.4

-17.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$16.10 MX$302

-52.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.98 MX$37.16

-20.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$4.25 MX$79.7

-47.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.31 MX$5.72

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 $22.09

$19.73 MX$370

11.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.84 MX$34.44

-16.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 $1.73

$0.53 MX$10.00

226.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 $8.11

$5.30 MX$99.2

53.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.51 MX$28.31

-59.60%

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

$17.7K $17.7K

$21.8K MX$407.7K

-18.57%

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

$22.0K $22.0K

$24.0K MX$449.5K

-8.24%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$63.0 MX$1,180

-17.13%

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

$14.97 $14.97

$27.39 MX$513

-45.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.58 $26.58

$35.67 MX$668

-25.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 $42.15

$58.9 MX$1,105

-28.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.74 $29.74

$23.64 MX$443

25.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.89 $4.89

$6.40 MX$120

-23.59%

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

$133 $133

$432 MX$8,088

-69.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,675 $5,675

$11.4K MX$214.1K

-50.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$68.2 MX$1,278

-5.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.94 $39.94

$53.1 MX$996

-24.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$108 MX$2,020

-24.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.6 $68.6

$117 MX$2,198

-41.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 $190

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-82.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 $133

$710 MX$13.3K

-81.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 $353

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-86.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 $264

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-81.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 $444

$946 MX$17.7K

-53.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-55.95%

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

Last update for Machala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machala

$135 20.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 136% $184

Accommodation & Living

Machala

$133 20.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 433% $577

Clothing & Footwear

Machala

$114 17.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 36.4% $42

Eating Out

Machala

$94 14.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 111% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machala

$94 14.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 34.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Machala

$52 7.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 38.1% $20

Getting Around

Machala

$34 5.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 24.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $190 in Machala and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.1 times 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: $25 in Machala vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $135 vs $320 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Machala

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Machala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,260

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Machala Mexico City 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Machala
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

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

Machala is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Machala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $190 in Machala 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 Machala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $656 per month in Machala versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Machala is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Machala versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Machala 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.

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