Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $670 in Manta versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Manta $670
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Manta versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Manta $1,152
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Manta versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Manta $1,634
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Manta costs roughly 58% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Manta is 51% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 $3.04

$10.62 MX$199

-71.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$48.35 MX$908

7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 $5.18

$10.35 MX$194

-49.95%

Cappuccino

$2.81 $2.81

$3.69 MX$69.3

-23.85%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.67 MX$31.29

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 $0.42

$1.27 MX$23.76

-66.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.19 MX$59.9

-8.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$5.31 MX$99.6

-27.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.72 MX$32.38

-43.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 $2.00

$3.04 MX$57.1

-34.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.94 MX$36.44

-49.48%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.89 MX$54.2

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$10.97 MX$206

-71.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$9.25 MX$174

-66.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$15.13 MX$284

-54.53%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$3.05 MX$57.2

-68.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.94 MX$36.45

-62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.03 MX$38.02

-64.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.31 MX$43.46

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$2.04 MX$38.21

-75.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.80 MX$33.79

-72.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.48 MX$27.77

-56.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.27 MX$23.80

-19.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 $4.02

$5.30 MX$99.6

-24.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$16.10 MX$302

-57.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.98 MX$37.23

-48.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$4.25 MX$79.8

-47.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

$0.31 MX$5.73

61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.84 MX$34.50

-2.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.53 MX$10.02

233.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.28 $9.28

$5.30 MX$99.4

75.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.51 MX$28.36

-50.99%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

4.38%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

27.12%

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

$93.6 $93.6

$63.0 MX$1,182

48.54%

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

$11.20 $11.20

$27.39 MX$514

-59.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.03 $26.03

$35.67 MX$670

-27.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.90 $19.90

$58.9 MX$1,107

-66.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$23.64 MX$444

50.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$6.40 MX$120

-20.31%

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

$370 $370

$432 MX$8,103

-14.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,708 $5,708

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-50.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$68.2 MX$1,281

-18.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$53.1 MX$997

-24.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 $99.3

$108 MX$2,023

-7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 $62.1

$117 MX$2,202

-47.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 $306

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-72.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 $137

$710 MX$13.3K

-80.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 $916

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-64.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 $337

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-76.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 $478

$946 MX$17.8K

-49.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.35

-11.45%

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

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$144 21.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 122% $176

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$137 20.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 417% $573

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$131 19.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 3.6% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 35% $40

Eating Out

Manta

$100 14.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 99.5% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 138% $42

Getting Around

Manta

$13 * 1.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 102% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Manta and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 98% 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: $52 in Manta vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $320, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

00:23 12:23 AM

1 h behind Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manta Mexico City 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Manta
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

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

Manta is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Manta. 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: $306 in Manta versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Manta versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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