Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arona

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Arona: $1,608 and $1,583 a month, rent and utilities included.

Mexico City, Mexico
Arona, Italy
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Arona
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,583
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,583 in Arona.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Arona $1,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,500 in Arona.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Arona $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,418 in Arona.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Arona $3,418

Living in Mexico City is roughly 2% more expensive than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Arona 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$16.68 €14.96
-36.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$900
$78.4 €70.3
-38.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$8.85 €7.94
16.95%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.7
$1.67 €1.49
120.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.03
$2.88 €2.58
-42.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.56
$1.14 €1.02
11.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.4
$3.89 €3.49
-17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.8
$5.57 €5.00
-4.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.11
$1.37 €1.23
25.55%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.6
$2.18 €1.96
39.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.14
$4.02 €3.61
-51.74%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$2.96 €2.65
-2.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$15.11 €13.56
-27.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$14.04 €12.59
-34.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$15.07 €13.52
0.40%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$2.81 €2.52
8.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.14
$1.68 €1.51
15.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.70
$3.13 €2.81
-35.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.09
$2.23 €2.00
3.59%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.88
$1.87 €1.68
9.09%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.51
$1.84 €1.65
-2.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.54
$1.66 €1.49
-10.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.60
$0.66 €0.59
92.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$6.79 €6.09
-21.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$4.51 €4.05
256.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.92
$0.93 €0.83
112.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.2
$1.63 €1.47
160.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.68
$1.87 €1.67
-83.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$367
$37.52 €33.65
-47.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.21
$5.54 €4.97
-66.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.93
$1.87 €1.68
-71.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.6
$32.01 €28.71
-83.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.12
$2.11 €1.89
-28.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.0K
$36.1K €32.4K
-39.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.5K
$34.7K €31.2K
-30.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,172
$194 €174
-67.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$510
$11.93 €10.70
129.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$664
$27.27 €24.46
30.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,097
$58.3 €52.3
1.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$440
$20.22 €18.14
16.91%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$13.28 €11.91
-51.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,035
$895 €803
-51.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.7K
$19.5K €17.5K
-41.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,270
$89.4 €80.2
-23.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$989
$37.29 €33.45
42.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,006
$106 €95.2
1.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,183
$130 €117
-9.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$680 €610
63.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$502 €451
41.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$1,310 €1,175
97.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$903 €810
55.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.6K
$2,697 €2,419
34.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.7K
$1,817 €1,630
17.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Arona
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
3.65
210.96%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Arona
$502 29.3% $208
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Arona
$313 2.1% $6.7
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Arona
$227 14.1% $28
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Arona
$163 4.8% $7.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Arona
$233 84.8% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Arona
$85 18.2% $13
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Arona
$60 135% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $680 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $78 in Arona. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $313, with Arona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇹 Arona
🕒 Local time
17:33 5:33 PM
00:33 12:33 AM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
14,310
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Arona 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Arona

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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Arona cheaper than Mexico City?
Arona is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $2,374 in Arona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Arona?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $680 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 47% less than in Arona. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Arona?
All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,583 in Arona – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 enough to cover costs in Mexico City or in Arona?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Arona is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Mexico City or in Arona?
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.

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