Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,363 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $1,363 in Almaty, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Almaty $1,363

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $2,131 in Almaty, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Almaty $2,131

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,900 in Almaty, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Almaty $2,900

Mexico City costs about 14% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Almaty sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Almaty by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$13.05 ₸5,899

-15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$43.44 ₸19.6K

12.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.76 ₸3,962

24.43%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.32 ₸1,501

10.84%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.34 ₸607

21.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.83 ₸374

50.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.36 ₸1,518

-3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.02 ₸1,818

37.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.65 ₸747

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.93 ₸421

224.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.05 ₸927

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.46 ₸1,113

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.49 ₸5,646

-5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.71 ₸3,035

42.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$10.85 ₸4,905

32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.78 ₸807

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.25 ₸1,018

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.87 ₸1,299

-30.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.71 ₸1,227

-19.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.80 ₸362

140.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.55 ₸249

240.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.62 ₸732

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.00 ₸453

27.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.58 ₸1,167

102.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$11.15 ₸5,039

45.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.26 ₸572

50.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.48 ₸1,120

70.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.28 ₸128

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$22.05 ₸9,970

-10.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.34 ₸607

49.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.64 ₸288

-18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$11.04 ₸4,993

-51.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.72 ₸326

111.11%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$28.1K ₸12.7M

-21.56%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.8K ₸14.4M

-22.94%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$90.5 ₸40.9K

-32.53%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$10.63 ₸4,805

168.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.12 ₸8,190

90.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$69.0 ₸31.2K

-18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$26.98 ₸12.2K

-7.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.77 ₸3,062

-1.62%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$444 ₸200.6K

-3.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$12.0K ₸5.4M

-2.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$91.9 ₸41.5K

-26.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$47.80 ₸21.6K

8.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$139 ₸63.0K

-23.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$131 ₸59.4K

-14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$777 ₸351.2K

31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$494 ₸223.4K

32.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,439 ₸650.4K

60.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$905 ₸409.2K

37.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,470 ₸1.1M

46.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,517 ₸685.7K

27.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$857 ₸387.2K

12.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

20.65

-45.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Almaty

$494 36.3% 24.5% $160

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 21.2% $68

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Almaty

$204 15% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Almaty

$185 13.6% 21.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Almaty

$119 8.8% 3.9% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 18.4% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Almaty

$28 2% 8.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $777 in Almaty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 13% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $251 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

01:34 1:34 AM

12 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Almaty 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Almaty

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 Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $2,044 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $1,363 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,363, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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