Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Acuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Acuna: $1,203 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Acuna
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Acuna Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Acuna

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,203 in Acuna, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Acuna $1,203

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,872 in Acuna, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Acuna $1,872

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,540 in Acuna, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Acuna $2,540

Mexico City costs about 39% more than Acuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Acuna is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$10.82 MX$204

-2.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$42.78 MX$805

21.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$8.73 MX$164

22.91%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.49 MX$65.6

8.88%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.40 MX$26.29

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.99 MX$18.67

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.49 MX$46.88

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.92 MX$73.8

38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.56 MX$29.27

10.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$2.58 MX$48.47

15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.64 MX$30.88

17.68%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.45 MX$46.18

13.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$8.25 MX$155

41.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$7.96 MX$150

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$11.30 MX$213

36.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.61 MX$49.13

18.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.56 MX$29.43

25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.84 MX$34.64

7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.78 MX$33.57

31.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.04 MX$38.40

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.82 MX$34.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.43 MX$26.89

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.12 MX$21.10

16.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$4.20 MX$79.0

27.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$10.27 MX$193

57.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.79 MX$33.65

9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.16 MX$59.5

37.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.62 MX$11.64

-51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$29.62 MX$557

-34.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.54 MX$47.84

-24.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.93 MX$36.28

-75.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$10.78 MX$203

-49.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.32 MX$24.80

12.12%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$23.3K MX$437.6K

-8.08%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$23.7K MX$445.8K

0.29%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$57.2 MX$1,077

8.32%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$22.85 MX$430

24.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$29.20 MX$549

16.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$32.41 MX$610

80.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$20.22 MX$381

21.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.97 MX$93.5

32.60%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$218 MX$4,101

99.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$4,512 MX$84.9K

211.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$54.3 MX$1,022

25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$39.96 MX$752

37.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$97.7 MX$1,838

13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$89.5 MX$1,685

29.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$596 MX$11.2K

97.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$436 MX$8,212

76.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$1,039 MX$19.6K

147.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$751 MX$14.1K

88.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,911 MX$36.0K

87.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,107 MX$20.8K

86.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.31

0.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Acuna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Acuna

$436 36.3% 43.4% $334

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Acuna

$260 21.6% 19.8% $64

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Acuna

$184 15.3% 8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Acuna

$127 10.5% 19.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Acuna

$109 9.1% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Acuna

$42 3.5% 40.8% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Acuna

$44 3.7% 77.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $596 in Acuna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $43 in Acuna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $260 – making Acuna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Acuna

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

160,225

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Acuna 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Acuna

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 Acuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,804 in Acuna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acuna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,203 in Acuna. That makes Acuna about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Acuna, where all-in costs run around $1,203, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Acuna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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