Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida, Mexico and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,311 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Merida
Learn more

Merida Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
Learn more

New York, NY Living Index

Jump to prices

Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,311

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merida and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merida and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,311 per month in Merida vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Merida $1,311
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,128 per month in Merida vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Merida $2,128
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $2,946 per month in Merida vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Merida $2,946
New York, NY $9,641

Merida is about 73% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Merida sits 3% below the global median, while New York, NY is 263% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.29 MX$250

$26.93 $26.93

-50.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.1 MX$1,015

$117 $117

-53.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 MX$150

$14.60 $14.60

-45.34%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.7

$6.54 $6.54

-41.59%

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

$1.12 MX$21.06

$3.86 $3.86

-70.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 MX$21.51

$2.95 $2.95

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 MX$56.3

$8.08 $8.08

-62.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$71.5

$9.85 $9.85

-61.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.75

$1.31 $1.31

16.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 MX$49.05

$4.97 $4.97

-47.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.72

$7.70 $7.70

-77.40%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$35.45

$6.09 $6.09

-68.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 MX$189

$19.55 $19.55

-48.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 MX$141

$17.59 $17.59

-57.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.36 MX$232

$20.26 $20.26

-38.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 MX$52.5

$6.99 $6.99

-60.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MX$26.55

$2.21 $2.21

-36.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 MX$40.47

$6.72 $6.72

-68.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.21

$7.12 $7.12

-71.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.95

$4.61 $4.61

-52.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MX$32.74

$4.78 $4.78

-63.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.62

$2.87 $2.87

-50.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.65

$2.69 $2.69

-59.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 MX$82.9

$19.14 $19.14

-76.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$19.63 $19.63

-44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 MX$27.44

$3.32 $3.32

-56.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$4.19 $4.19

-40.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.62

$3.02 $3.02

-77.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.16 MX$604

$139 $139

-76.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 MX$49.37

$3.04 $3.04

-13.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.74 MX$70.2

$2.20 $2.20

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 MX$167

$41.33 $41.33

-78.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$29.08

$1.13 $1.13

37.17%

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

$22.4K MX$420.4K

$34.5K $34.5K

-35.03%

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

$23.6K MX$443.7K

$25.8K $25.8K

-8.61%

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

$114 MX$2,141

$232 $232

-50.94%

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

$21.13 MX$397

$71.0 $71.0

-70.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.89 MX$636

$67.7 $67.7

-49.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.76 MX$540

$115 $115

-75.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.58 MX$217

$76.8 $76.8

-84.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 MX$123

$22.41 $22.41

-70.77%

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

$259 MX$4,862

$3,606 $3,606

-92.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,556 MX$66.8K

$68.7K $68.7K

-94.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 MX$993

$79.3 $79.3

-33.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 MX$993

$51.4 $51.4

2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,860

$121 $121

-18.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.8 MX$1,555

$140 $140

-41.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$11.6K

$4,555 $4,555

-86.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 MX$8,301

$3,040 $3,040

-85.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 MX$23.1K

$9,742 $9,742

-87.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$18.0K

$5,331 $5,331

-82.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,169 MX$40.7K

$18.2K $18.2K

-88.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,204 MX$22.6K

$6,685 $6,685

-81.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$722 MX$13.6K

$5,096 $5,096

-85.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

6.89

68.94%

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

Last update for Merida: October 31, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$442 33.7%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 588% $2.6K

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$265 20.2%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 114% $302

Eating Out

Merida

$208 15.9%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 105% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$169 12.9%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 120% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$129 9.9%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 36.4% $47

Getting Around

Merida

$56 4.3%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 195% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$42 3.2%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 283% $118

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Merida versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Merida versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $567 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Merida

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

07:27 7:27 AM

1 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merida New York, NY 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
New York, NY

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

Merida vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 274%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,967 per month in Merida and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $617 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Merida and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,311, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Merida. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.