Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $1,809 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,809 in Arrest.

Mexico City $1,674
Arrest $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,758 in Arrest.

Mexico City $2,606
Arrest $2,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,707 in Arrest.

Mexico City $3,537
Arrest $3,707

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 7% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Arrest 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$16.97 €15.17

-37.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$56.4 €50.4

-7.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$13.19 €11.79

-18.65%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.98 €2.66

27.52%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$3.17 €2.83

-49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.06 €1.84

-41.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$8.24 €7.37

-61.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$5.45 €4.87

-0.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.30 €1.16

32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.77 €1.58

67.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.56 €2.29

-24.61%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.78 €3.38

-26.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$10.08 €9.01

15.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$12.05 €10.77

-21.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$16.06 €14.36

-4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.00 €2.68

3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$3.05 €2.73

-35.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.47 €1.31

34.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$4.16 €3.72

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.80 €1.61

12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.05 €1.83

-11.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.64 €1.46

-6.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.13 €0.11

907.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$12.60 €11.27

-57.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$5.43 €4.86

198.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.48 €1.32

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.64 €1.46

165.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.96 €1.75

-84.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$48.92 €43.75

-60.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.23 €1.99

-13.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.15 €1.03

-59.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$32.27 €28.86

-83.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$2.10 €1.88

-29.52%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$34.1K €30.5K

-37.37%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$35.2K €31.5K

-32.54%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$207 €185

-70.00%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$32.73 €29.27

-13.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$32.60 €29.15

4.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$34.95 €31.25

67.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$15.84 €14.16

-58.40%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$891 €797

-51.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$10.7K €9,557

31.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$124 €111

-45.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$45.30 €40.51

20.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$101 €90.6

9.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$157 €140

-25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$755 €675

56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$635 €568

21.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,435 €1,283

79.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,161 €1,038

22.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$4,240 €3,792

-15.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$3,165 €2,830

-34.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.9

191.03%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Arrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Arrest

$635 35.1% 17.6% $135

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Arrest

$294 16.2% 9.2% $30

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Arrest

$284 15.7% 41.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Arrest

$192 10.6% 22.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Arrest

$272 15% 118% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Arrest

$67 3.7% 6.9% $4.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Arrest

$65 3.6% 159% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $755 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $56 in Arrest. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $294, with Arrest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

00:09 12:09 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arrest 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $2,714 in Arrest 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $755 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $891 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Arrest pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.