Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Aachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,948 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Aachen

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,948 in Aachen, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Aachen $1,948

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,888 in Aachen, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Aachen $2,888

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $3,828 in Aachen, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Aachen $3,828

Mexico City is about 20% cheaper than Aachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mexico City and Aachen sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Aachen by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$15.53 €13.82

-30.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$60.7 €54.0

-17.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$11.13 €9.90

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.61 €3.21

1.94%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.73 €2.43

-39.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$3.03 €2.69

-57.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.01 €4.45

-33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.42 €4.82

2.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.20 €1.07

47.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.93 €1.72

58.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.61 €3.21

-44.32%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.44 €3.06

-19.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$14.83 €13.19

-19.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$11.24 €10.00

-16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$20.37 €18.12

-26.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.30 €2.94

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.21 €1.97

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.04 €1.82

-0.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$3.47 €3.09

-36.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.54 €1.37

31.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.43 €1.27

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.45 €1.29

4.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.25 €1.12

2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$10.26 €9.13

-48.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$6.58 €5.85

144.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.12 €1.00

74.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.64 €1.46

159.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$3.82 €3.40

-91.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$69.3 €61.7

-71.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$5.56 €4.95

-64.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.50 €2.22

-78.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$36.79 €32.73

-84.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.23 €1.99

-31.84%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$32.6K €29.0K

-35.45%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$38.0K €33.8K

-33.80%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$378 €337

-83.48%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$17.10 €15.21

68.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$48.02 €42.72

-28.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$36.74 €32.68

55.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$28.06 €24.96

-11.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$15.90 €14.14

-58.05%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$724 €644

-40.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$19.0K €16.9K

-38.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$93.8 €83.4

-24.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$41.55 €36.96

24.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$82.8 €73.6

31.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$134 €119

-15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$823 €732

27.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$588 €523

13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,509 €1,343

55.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,043 €928

17.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$4,530 €4,029

-21.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$3,431 €3,052

-42.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$3,524 €3,134

-72.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.96

185.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aachen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Aachen

$588 30.2% 11.5% $77

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Aachen

$327 16.8% 1.4% $4.4

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Aachen

$260 13.3% 28.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Aachen

$158 8.1% 2.3% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Aachen

$443 22.8% 253% $318

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Aachen

$69 3.5% 2.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Aachen

$103 5.3% 298% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $823 in Aachen. 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 262% higher in Aachen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $61.0 in Aachen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $327 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇪 Aachen

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

16:27 4:27 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

241,683

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Aachen 9,360 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Aachen

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $1,948 in Aachen – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $2,922 in Aachen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $61.0 in Aachen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $1,948 in Aachen. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Aachen at $1,948. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,567 in Mexico City to $1,948 in Aachen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.