Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Americana

For one person, living is cheaper in Americana: $836 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Americana
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Americana Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Americana

🇧🇷 Brazil

$836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $836 in Americana.

Mexico City $1,608
Americana $836

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,319 in Americana.

Mexico City $2,549
Americana $1,319

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,802 in Americana.

Mexico City $3,490
Americana $1,802

Living in Mexico City is roughly 92% more expensive than in Americana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Americana is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.70 R$30.50

86.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$22.50 R$120

114.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.47 R$39.96

38.55%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.85 R$9.91

99.46%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.71 R$9.16

-2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.16 R$6.22

9.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.39 R$7.41

129.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.26 R$12.06

134.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.95 R$5.08

81.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.60 R$8.58

90.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.17 R$6.25

65.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.02 R$10.78

43.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.49 R$45.42

29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.94 R$21.05

134.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.10 R$43.29

86.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.07 R$11.06

47.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.24 R$6.63

56.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.12 R$5.99

81.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.43 R$7.66

61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.12 R$5.98

82.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.01 R$5.40

78.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.71 R$3.79

108.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.76 R$4.05

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.09 R$11.16

153.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$8.41 R$44.97

91.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.17 R$6.27

69.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.98 R$10.57

114.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.98 R$5.22

-68.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$41.09 R$220

-51.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.24 R$6.64

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.85 R$4.56

-37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.49 R$40.03

-29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.08 R$5.79

39.81%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$21.7K R$116.1K

0.14%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$30.9K R$165.1K

-22.34%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$51.0 R$272

23.59%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$11.30 R$60.4

142.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$20.28 R$108

75.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$17.63 R$94.3

234.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$26.29 R$141

-10.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.65 R$35.56

-3.76%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$262 R$1,402

64.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$6,752 R$36.1K

69.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$75.8 R$405

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$63.7 R$340

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$104 R$555

3.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$81.5 R$436

43.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$340 R$1,819

227.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$232 R$1,240

206.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$626 R$3,350

313.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$443 R$2,368

217.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,550 R$8,287

134.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,149 R$6,143

85.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$703 R$3,758

34.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Americana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Americana

$232 27.7% 67.4% $479

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Americana

$181 21.7% 43.3% $138

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Americana

$113 13.5% 43% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Americana

$146 17.5% 6.3% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Americana

$83 9.9% 34.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Americana

$31 3.7% 56.9% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Americana

$51 6% 98.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $340 in Americana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 35% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $23 in Americana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $181 per month, with Americana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Americana

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

237,240

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Americana 7,320 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Americana

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 Americana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Americana wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Americana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $340 in Americana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 52% less than in Americana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $262 in Americana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Americana is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Americana wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.