Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
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Ariana Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,044 in Ariana, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Ariana $1,044

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,422 in Ariana, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Ariana $1,422

Mexico City costs about 141% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Ariana is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$5.08 TND 15.26

109.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$17.54 TND 52.7

175.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.94 TND 14.86

109.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.14 TND 3.42

223.68%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.65 TND 1.95

156.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.33 TND 1.01

284.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.63 TND 4.90

95.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$1.35 TND 4.05

293.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.51 TND 1.53

237.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.26 TND 0.79

1069.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.69 TND 5.07

14.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.51 TND 4.54

91.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.11 TND 21.35

54.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.13 TND 18.42

50.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.16 TND 33.54

35.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.68 TND 5.04

81.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.60 TND 7.80

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.24 TND 3.72

63.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.81 TND 2.44

185.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.81 TND 2.43

151.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.71 TND 2.14

153.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.52 TND 1.57

184.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.33 TND 1.00

284.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.54 TND 10.63

49.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$6.57 TND 19.74

145.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.23 TND 3.71

60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.50 TND 4.51

183.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.15 TND 0.46

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$9.82 TND 29.51

100.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.29 TND 0.86

534.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.31 TND 0.94

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.84 TND 5.52

188.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.82 TND 2.47

84.15%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$38.8K TND 116.6K

-43.93%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$36.6K TND 109.9K

-34.44%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$61.3 TND 184

2.69%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$8.85 TND 26.60

209.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$21.26 TND 63.9

67.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$31.55 TND 94.8

86.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$16.47 TND 49.49

43.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.44 TND 13.34

44.14%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$107 TND 321

303.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$3,191 TND 9,587

258.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$38.82 TND 117

75.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$56.8 TND 171

-6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$88.9 TND 267

21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$67.1 TND 202

74.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$242 TND 728

359.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$154 TND 461

362.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$440 TND 1,322

488.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$291 TND 875

382.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,029 TND 3,092

252.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$736 TND 2,210

190.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$329 TND 989

187.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.65

6.57%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ariana

$154 23.1% 78.4% $557

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ariana

$171 25.7% 46.4% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ariana

$84 12.6% 57.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ariana

$113 17% 27.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ariana

$91 13.7% 27.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ariana

$40 6.1% 43.6% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ariana

$12 1.8% 51.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $242 in Ariana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $18 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $171 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

22:13 10:13 PM

05:13 5:13 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

114,486

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ariana 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $666 in Ariana – Ariana comes out roughly 59% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $999 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $18 in Ariana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ariana, where all-in costs run around $666, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Ariana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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