Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $848 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
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Acapulco Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $848 in Acapulco, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Acapulco $848

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,418 in Acapulco, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Acapulco $1,418

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,989 in Acapulco, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Acapulco $1,989

Mexico City costs about 97% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Acapulco is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$9.20 MX$171

15.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$37.33 MX$695

39.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$11.65 MX$217

-7.90%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$3.74 MX$69.6

1.60%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.53 MX$28.53

5.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.65 MX$30.65

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.91 MX$54.2

9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.94 MX$92.0

10.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.56 MX$29.07

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.86 MX$53.3

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.64 MX$30.50

17.68%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.83 MX$34.03

51.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.60 MX$123

76.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$8.26 MX$154

14.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$10.93 MX$203

40.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$4.55 MX$84.7

-31.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.64 MX$30.58

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$3.18 MX$59.2

-37.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$3.04 MX$56.5

-23.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$3.34 MX$62.2

-39.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.93 MX$54.4

-37.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.23 MX$22.94

25.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.82 MX$15.33

59.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$8.31 MX$155

-35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$6.39 MX$119

153.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.10 MX$20.44

78.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.77 MX$51.5

57.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.85 MX$15.83

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$4.96 MX$92.4

-61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.45 MX$27.03

2.07%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$21.2K MX$394.6K

0.80%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$23.9K MX$445.2K

-0.70%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$39.02 MX$726

58.87%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$14.93 MX$278

90.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$21.05 MX$392

62.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$18.69 MX$348

212.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$13.62 MX$254

79.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$3.82 MX$71.0

72.51%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$163 MX$3,042

165.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$65.6 MX$1,222

4.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$43.81 MX$815

25.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$107 MX$1,994

3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$81.2 MX$1,510

42.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$512 MX$9,526

130.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$146 MX$2,724

426.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$944 MX$17.6K

172.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$325 MX$6,040

337.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$447 MX$8,325

124.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.6

-2.16%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Acapulco

$146 17.3% 81% $625

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Acapulco

$267 31.5% 17.5% $57

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Acapulco

$191 22.5% 5% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Acapulco

$134 15.8% 14.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Acapulco

$75 8.9% 39.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Acapulco

$26 3.1% 63.2% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 66.5% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $512 in Acapulco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $37 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $267 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

658,609

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Mexico City costs about 97% more than Acapulco, 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 $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,272 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $512 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $848 in Acapulco. That makes Acapulco about 49% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $163 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,674 in Mexico City and $848 in Acapulco. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Acapulco – 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 Acapulco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.