Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,030 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
Learn more

Adama Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,030

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,030 in Adama, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Adama $1,030

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,702 in Adama, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Adama $1,702

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,374 in Adama, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Adama $2,374

Mexico City costs about 56% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.06 ETB 492

247.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$43.00 ETB 6,924

12.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.98 ETB 801

107.83%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$0.90 ETB 144

310.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.58 ETB 93.9

187.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.31 ETB 50.5

309.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$0.83 ETB 134

284.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.31 ETB 372

129.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$0.77 ETB 124

123.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.17 ETB 189

159.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.20 ETB 354

-11.82%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.80 ETB 290

60.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.35 ETB 1,184

49.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.09 ETB 1,625

-8.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.40 ETB 1,514

60.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.51 ETB 888

-44.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$0.69 ETB 111

181.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.14 ETB 344

-5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$0.70 ETB 113

230.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.50 ETB 80.9

308.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.09 ETB 175

65.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.69 ETB 111

114.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.57 ETB 91.3

122.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$7.88 ETB 1,269

-32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$5.78 ETB 931

178.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$0.70 ETB 113

182.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.28 ETB 206

232.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.28 ETB 206

43.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.27 ETB 42.90

96.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.03 ETB 327

161.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.90 ETB 145

67.78%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$55.8K ETB 9.0M

-60.98%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$55.3K ETB 8.9M

-56.66%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$206 ETB 33.1K

-69.40%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$7.50 ETB 1,207

265.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$215 ETB 34.6K

-83.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.83 ETB 617

67.10%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$611 ETB 98.3K

-29.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-62.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$32.75 ETB 5,273

108.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$72.3 ETB 11.6K

-26.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$79.9 ETB 12.9K

34.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$82.3 ETB 13.2K

42.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$352 ETB 56.7K

216.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$198 ETB 31.9K

258.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$980 ETB 157.8K

164.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$815 ETB 131.2K

72.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$98.7 ETB 15.9K

858.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

18.5

-38.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Adama: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Adama

$198 19.2% 72.1% $512

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Adama

$211 20.5% 34.1% $109

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Adama

$63 6.1% 68.5% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Adama

$120 11.7% 22.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Adama

$428 41.6% 240% $302

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Adama

$7.7 * 0.7% 89.3% $64

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3% 89.7% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $352 in Adama. 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 9.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $43 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $211 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

228,623

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Adama 14,500 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,030 in Adama – Adama comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,545 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $43 in Adama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,030 in Adama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,030 in Adama to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. 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.