Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Abuja

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $991 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $991 in Abuja.

Mexico City $1,608
Abuja $991

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,872 in Abuja.

Mexico City $2,549
Abuja $1,872

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,753 in Abuja.

Mexico City $3,490
Abuja $2,753

Living in Mexico City is roughly 62% more expensive than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Abuja is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.94 ₦2,611

447.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$30.33 ₦40.8K

59.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.08 ₦5,483

153.68%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.28 ₦4,415

12.50%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.43 ₦575

288.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.71 ₦959

78.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$0.97 ₦1,306

228.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$1.97 ₦2,656

169.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$3.59 ₦4,830

-52.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.29 ₦1,737

135.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.27 ₦3,058

-14.54%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.81 ₦2,428

59.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.11 ₦14.9K

-1.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.35 ₦7,189

72.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$5.82 ₦7,822

159.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.07 ₦2,785

47.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.50 ₦2,013

29.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.52 ₦2,046

33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.29 ₦3,078

0.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.79 ₦2,401

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.48 ₦3,335

-27.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.59 ₦797

150.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.39 ₦528

225.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.96 ₦2,633

170.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$5.83 ₦7,845

176.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.20 ₦1,610

65.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.85 ₦2,492

129.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.46 ₦622

-32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$32.58 ₦43.8K

-39.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.61 ₦826

201.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.81 ₦1,090

-34.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.85 ₦2,482

186.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.57 ₦768

164.91%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$26.1K ₦35.1M

-16.69%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$37.3K ₦50.2M

-35.73%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$110 ₦148.3K

-42.88%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$6.48 ₦8,717

322.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.14 ₦39.2K

22.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$25.74 ₦34.6K

128.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$9.62 ₦12.9K

145.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.31 ₦8,485

1.43%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$44.68 ₦60.1K

865.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$3,103 ₦4.2M

268.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$26.03 ₦35.0K

162.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$60.8 ₦81.7K

-12.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$76.5 ₦102.9K

40.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$105 ₦141.8K

11.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$589 ₦792.6K

88.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$348 ₦467.4K

104.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,405 ₦1.9M

84.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,346 ₦1.8M

4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$699 ₦940.4K

419.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$378 ₦508.7K

464.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$162 ₦218.3K

482.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

22.5

-49.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Abuja

$348 35.1% 51.1% $363

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Abuja

$218 22% 31.7% $101

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Abuja

$81 8.1% 59.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Abuja

$121 12.2% 22.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Abuja

$146 14.7% 15.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Abuja

$38 3.9% 46.5% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Abuja

$39 4% 53.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $589 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $30 in Abuja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $218 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

776,298 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,345 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Abuja 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Abuja

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 Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $991 in Abuja, so Abuja is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.8 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 $589 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $991 in Abuja – Abuja is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 39% less than in Abuja. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $991 in Abuja versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja 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 – Abuja wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.