Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,607 in Alton, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Alton $2,607

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,875 in Alton, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Alton $3,875

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $5,143 in Alton, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Alton $5,143

Mexico City is about 38% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Alton sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Alton by 92%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$27.13 £20.42

-60.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$105 £78.7

-53.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.75 £8.09

-3.72%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$5.69 £4.28

-35.15%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.03 £2.28

-44.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.20 £1.66

-42.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$9.07 £6.83

-64.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$7.96 £5.99

-33.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.81 £1.37

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.02 £1.52

50.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.51 £1.89

-22.71%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.39 £2.55

-14.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$12.77 £9.61

-14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.86 £8.18

-14.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$17.24 £12.98

-12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.14 £2.36

-2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.42 £1.07

36.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.99 £2.25

-32.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$3.40 £2.56

-32.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.68 £1.26

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.81 £1.36

-0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.47 £1.11

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.85 £1.39

-31.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$23.77 £17.89

-77.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$10.50 £7.90

53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.35 £1.77

-15.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.74 £2.06

55.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.49 £2.62

-91.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$98.0 £73.8

-79.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$5.46 £4.11

-66.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$3.39 £2.55

-84.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$25.69 £19.33

-79.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$2.10 £1.58

-28.10%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$38.2K £28.8K

-43.12%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$40.2K £30.2K

-40.28%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$369 £278

-82.95%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$18.30 £13.77

49.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$40.58 £30.54

-12.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$46.16 £34.74

27.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$17.88 £13.45

-64.21%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$2,877 £2,165

-85.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$35.7K £26.9K

-68.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$117 £87.9

-41.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$54.5 £41.04

-2.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$128 £96.6

-16.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$165 £124

-28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,246 £938

-10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,019 £767

-30.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,098 £1,579

23.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,683 £1,267

-16.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$5,091 £3,832

-28.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$3,807 £2,865

-43.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.74

139.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Alton

$1K 39.1% 43.5% $309

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Alton

$334 12.8% 4.7% $15

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Alton

$400 15.3% 101% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Alton

$209 8% 34.1% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Alton

$428 16.4% 240% $302

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Alton

$82 3.1% 14.2% $10

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Alton

$134 5.2% 428% $109

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,246 in Alton. 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $334 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

17,816

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Alton 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $2,607 in Alton – Mexico City comes out roughly 38% 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 $3,911 in Alton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,246 in Alton.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $2,877 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,607 in Alton, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Mexico City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.