Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Alexandria, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,082 in Alexandria, LA, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria, LA
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Alexandria, LA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Alexandria, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,082

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Alexandria, LA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,082 in Alexandria, LA.

Mexico City $1,567
Alexandria, LA $2,082

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,933 in Alexandria, LA.

Mexico City $2,450
Alexandria, LA $2,933

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,783 in Alexandria, LA.

Mexico City $3,333
Alexandria, LA $3,783

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 25% less than in Alexandria, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Alexandria, LA 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$16.12 $16.12

-33.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$51.2 $51.2

-1.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.72 $9.72

14.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.30 $5.30

-30.57%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.49 $2.49

-33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.14 $2.14

-39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.93 $5.93

-44.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$8.19 $8.19

-32.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.34 $1.34

32.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.68 $1.68

81.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$6.08 $6.08

-66.94%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$5.51 $5.51

-49.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$8.97 $8.97

32.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$6.44 $6.44

44.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$15.67 $15.67

-4.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$5.13 $5.13

-39.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.34 $1.34

45.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$5.35 $5.35

-62.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$5.44 $5.44

-59.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$4.36 $4.36

-53.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.24 $2.24

-18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.28 $2.28

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.63 $2.63

-51.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$8.89 $8.89

-40.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$17.03 $17.03

-5.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.55 $2.55

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.89 $3.89

9.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$3.57 $3.57

-43.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.52 $1.52

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$34.46 $34.46

-83.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.74 $0.74

105.41%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$35.9K $35.9K

-41.45%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$25.5K $25.5K

-1.33%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$186 $186

-66.37%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$70.7 $70.7

-59.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$73.0 $73.0

-52.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$12.58 $12.58

-46.98%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,577 $1,577

-72.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$10.1K $10.1K

16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$57.9 $57.9

22.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$42.48 $42.48

22.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$87.3 $87.3

24.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$122 $122

-7.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$936 $936

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$913 $913

-27.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,454 $1,454

61.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,318 $1,318

-6.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,266 $1,266

180.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,271 $1,271

55.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,989 $2,989

-67.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.66

69.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alexandria, LA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Alexandria, LA

$913 43.8% 37.3% $248

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Alexandria, LA

$378 18.1% 17% $55

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Alexandria, LA

$286 13.8% 41.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Alexandria, LA

$139 6.7% 9.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Alexandria, LA

$330 15.8% 162% $204

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Alexandria, LA

$25 * 1.2% 64.3% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Alexandria, LA

$11 * 0.5% 56.7% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $936 in Alexandria, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria, LA pays 207% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $51.0 in Alexandria, LA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $378 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Alexandria, LA

🕒 Local time

01:40 1:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

160,035

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mexico City Alexandria, LA 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Alexandria, LA

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 Alexandria, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 207% lower in Alexandria, LA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $936 in Alexandria, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Alexandria, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $2,082 in Alexandria, LA – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,082 in Alexandria, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Alexandria, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Alexandria, LA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Alexandria, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.