Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Messina and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Messina: $1,404 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,404

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,404 per month in Messina vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Messina $1,404
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $2,411 per month in Messina vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Messina $2,411
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $3,417 per month in Messina vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Messina $3,417
Mexico City $3,537

Messina is about 16% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Messina and Mexico City sit above the global median – Messina by 4%, Mexico City by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.08 €15.28

$10.59 MX$198

61.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.3

$52.0 MX$972

27.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.26 €10.97

$10.73 MX$201

14.26%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.75

$3.80 MX$71.0

-48.68%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$1.61 MX$30.16

41.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.21 MX$22.67

-1.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.07

$3.18 MX$59.4

78.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €3.02

$5.44 MX$102

-38.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.72 MX$32.13

-26.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.97 MX$55.5

-38.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$1.93 MX$36.02

47.67%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.77 MX$51.9

7.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 €13.01

$11.67 MX$218

24.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 €10.73

$9.48 MX$177

26.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 €15.26

$15.37 MX$288

11.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 €2.62

$3.10 MX$58.1

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.96 MX$36.67

-16.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.98 MX$37.07

-43.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.34 MX$43.68

27.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 €0.62

$2.02 MX$37.85

-65.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.82 MX$34.13

-15.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.54 MX$28.89

-8.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.38

$1.31 MX$24.54

-67.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$5.35 MX$100

25.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 €5.11

$16.19 MX$303

-64.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.96 MX$36.64

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.15

$4.35 MX$81.4

-44.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.30 MX$5.70

476.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.08 €37.65

$19.49 MX$365

115.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.92 MX$35.86

71.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.47 MX$8.84

131.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.65 €34.58

$5.41 MX$101

614.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.48 MX$27.75

36.49%

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

$34.6K €31.0K

$21.4K MX$399.7K

62.07%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$23.8K MX$444.3K

48.89%

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

$180 €161

$62.0 MX$1,160

191.11%

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

$10.21 €9.13

$28.47 MX$533

-64.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.72 €23.91

$34.11 MX$638

-21.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.98 €42.94

$58.4 MX$1,092

-17.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.74 €14.98

$24.50 MX$458

-31.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 €8.50

$6.59 MX$123

44.16%

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

$335 €299

$434 MX$8,122

-22.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,281 €5,621

$14.0K MX$262.5K

-55.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 €63.8

$68.4 MX$1,278

4.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.03 €27.77

$54.8 MX$1,025

-43.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 €77.1

$111 MX$2,073

-22.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$116 MX$2,169

7.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 €467

$1,179 MX$22.1K

-55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 €341

$771 MX$14.4K

-50.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 €1,086

$2,570 MX$48.1K

-52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 €973

$1,420 MX$26.6K

-23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,077 €1,858

$3,586 MX$67.1K

-42.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,646 €1,473

$2,064 MX$38.6K

-20.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,675 €1,499

$1,003 MX$18.8K

67.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

11.35

-70.13%

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

Last update for Messina: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Messina

$382 27.2%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 102% $389

Groceries & Markets

Messina

$294 20.9%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 10.1% $30

Eating Out

Messina

$246 17.5%

Mexico City

$201 12% 18.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Messina

$217 15.5%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 42.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Messina

$141 10%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 11.9% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Messina

$67 4.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 6.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Messina

$58 4.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 56.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Messina versus $1,179 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.

Salaries run about 67% higher in Messina, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Messina versus $52 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Messina vs $324 in Mexico City – so Messina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Messina

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

12:44 12:44 PM

7 h behind Messina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,734

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Messina Mexico City 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Messina
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

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

Mexico City costs about 19% more than Messina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,106 per month in Messina and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Messina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $335 per month in Messina and $434 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,404 in Messina and $1,674 in Mexico City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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