Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $3,763 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
172

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $3,763 in Arbon, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Arbon $3,763

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $5,707 in Arbon, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Arbon $5,707

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $7,651 in Arbon, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Arbon $7,651

Mexico City is about 56% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Arbon sit above the global median – Mexico City by 24%, Arbon by 178%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$30.86 CHF 25.19

-65.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$144 CHF 117

-63.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$19.65 CHF 16.04

-45.39%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$5.98 CHF 4.88

-36.45%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$5.82 CHF 4.75

-72.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$5.11 CHF 4.17

-76.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$9.19 CHF 7.50

-65.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$6.25 CHF 5.11

-12.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-21.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.12 CHF 2.55

-4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$3.68 CHF 3.00

-47.55%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$8.00 CHF 6.53

-65.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$25.26 CHF 20.62

-53.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$28.83 CHF 23.54

-67.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$41.88 CHF 34.19

-63.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.48 CHF 2.84

-10.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.03 CHF 1.66

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.43 CHF 1.98

-18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$5.44 CHF 4.44

-56.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.04 CHF 1.67

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.12 CHF 1.73

-14.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$2.32 CHF 1.89

-33.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.20 CHF 0.98

9.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$11.07 CHF 9.04

-51.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$16.77 CHF 13.69

-3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.25 CHF 1.84

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.34 CHF 1.91

85.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$4.96 CHF 4.05

-93.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$100 CHF 82.0

-80.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$6.88 CHF 5.61

-72.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$4.89 CHF 3.99

-90.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$36.81 CHF 30.05

-85.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$2.37 CHF 1.93

-37.55%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-46.69%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$40.3K CHF 32.9K

-41.01%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$321 CHF 262

-80.67%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$38.33 CHF 31.29

-25.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$54.5 CHF 44.52

-37.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$90.8 CHF 74.2

-35.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$41.46 CHF 33.85

-40.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$24.19 CHF 19.75

-72.76%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$2,284 CHF 1,865

-80.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$33.0K CHF 26.9K

-57.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$146 CHF 119

-53.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$65.1 CHF 53.1

-15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$144 CHF 118

-23.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$187 CHF 152

-37.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$2,023 CHF 1,652

-41.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,740 CHF 1,420

-55.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,949 CHF 2,408

-12.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$2,929 CHF 2,392

-51.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$14.0K CHF 11.4K

-74.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$11.5K CHF 9,391

-82.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$11.3K CHF 9,239

-91.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

1.9

497.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Arbon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Arbon

$1.7K 46.2% 126% $969

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Arbon

$595 15.8% 84% $272

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Arbon

$480 12.8% 139% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Arbon

$244 6.5% 54.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Arbon

$414 11% 232% $289

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Arbon

$139 3.7% 94.5% $68

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Arbon

$152 4% 507% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $2,023 in Arbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arbon are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $595 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

15,853

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Arbon 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $3,763 in Arbon – Mexico City comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $5,645 in Arbon. 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 $1,179 there versus $2,023 in Arbon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $3,763 in Arbon. That makes Mexico City about 56% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 81% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,674, than in Arbon at $3,763. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.