Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Abidjan

For one person, living is cheaper in Abidjan: $1,216 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Abidjan
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Abidjan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Abidjan

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Abidjan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,216 in Abidjan.

Mexico City $1,608
Abidjan $1,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,106 in Abidjan.

Mexico City $2,549
Abidjan $2,106

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,995 in Abidjan.

Mexico City $3,490
Abidjan $2,995

Living in Mexico City is roughly 32% more expensive than in Abidjan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Abidjan is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.63 F CFA 1,546

303.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$69.0 F CFA 40.5K

-29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.15 F CFA 5,964

1.97%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.85 F CFA 1,085

99.46%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.77 F CFA 452

116.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.77 F CFA 450

64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.01 F CFA 591

215.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.65 F CFA 969

221.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.10 F CFA 1,233

-18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.50 F CFA 295

508.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.19 F CFA 699

63.03%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.30 F CFA 1,352

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$25.58 F CFA 15.0K

-57.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.86 F CFA 3,440

57.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.17 F CFA 4,210

111.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.48 F CFA 2,634

-31.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.06 F CFA 624

83.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.06 F CFA 1,211

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.40 F CFA 1,407

-3.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.76 F CFA 1,031

15.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.60 F CFA 939

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.50 F CFA 293

196.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.83 F CFA 489

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.67 F CFA 979

217.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.08 F CFA 3,569

164.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.04 F CFA 614

90.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.12 F CFA 660

279.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.97 F CFA 568

-68.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$43.33 F CFA 25.5K

-54.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.73 F CFA 1,014

6.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.73 F CFA 1,017

-69.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$25.95 F CFA 15.2K

-79.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.49 F CFA 875

1.34%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.5K F CFA 16.8M

-23.73%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$26.1K F CFA 15.4M

-8.23%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$165 F CFA 96.7K

-61.72%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$21.65 F CFA 12.7K

26.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$35.20 F CFA 20.7K

1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$70.7 F CFA 41.5K

-16.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$21.44 F CFA 12.6K

10.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.56 F CFA 5,031

-25.23%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$362 F CFA 212.7K

19.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$4,715 F CFA 2.8M

142.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$91.9 F CFA 54.0K

-25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$37.07 F CFA 21.8K

43.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$85.4 F CFA 50.1K

26.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$136 F CFA 79.8K

-13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$830 F CFA 487.5K

34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$347 F CFA 203.6K

104.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,768 F CFA 1.6M

-6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$972 F CFA 570.8K

44.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,036 F CFA 1.2M

78.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$512 F CFA 300.9K

316.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$215 F CFA 126.3K

340.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

15.75

-27.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abidjan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Abidjan

$347 28.5% 51.2% $364

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Abidjan

$257 21.1% 19.7% $63

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Abidjan

$88 7.3% 55.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Abidjan

$158 13% 1.1% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Abidjan

$221 18.2% 75.6% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Abidjan

$88 7.2% 22.4% $16

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Abidjan

$58 4.7% 126% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $830 in Abidjan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $69 in Abidjan. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $257, with Abidjan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇮 Abidjan

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,567,409

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Abidjan 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Abidjan

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 Abidjan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abidjan is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $830 in Abidjan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $69 in Abidjan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,216 in Abidjan – Abidjan is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,216 in Abidjan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Abidjan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Abidjan 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 – Abidjan wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.