Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $546 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $546 in Arusha, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Arusha $546

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $882 in Arusha, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Arusha $882

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,218 in Arusha, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Arusha $1,218

Mexico City costs about 194% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Arusha is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.32 TZS 8,674

219.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$27.18 TZS 71.0K

77.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.89 TZS 23.2K

16.42%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.64 TZS 4,290

125.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.92 TZS 2,402

81.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.30 TZS 779

323.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.05 TZS 2,744

203.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.87 TZS 7,496

85.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.96 TZS 2,511

79.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.67 TZS 1,761

353.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.66 TZS 4,332

16.87%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.74 TZS 4,546

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.25 TZS 5,865

35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.79 TZS 2,069

192.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.46 TZS 1,191

343.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.02 TZS 2,668

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.83 TZS 2,177

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$1.50 TZS 3,907

253.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.96 TZS 2,507

106.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$0.97 TZS 2,521

338.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.19 TZS 497

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.57 TZS 19.8K

-29.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.30 TZS 3,404

16.15%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$28.47 TZS 74.3K

121.22%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$8.27 TZS 21.6K

231.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$48.04 TZS 125.4K

-25.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$63.9 TZS 166.7K

-7.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.67 TZS 12.2K

37.04%

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

$432 MX$8,045

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$7,612 TZS 19.9M

50.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$281 TZS 732.9K

296.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$234 TZS 609.7K

204.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$495 TZS 1.3M

422.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$522 TZS 1.4M

169.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Arusha

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Arusha

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Arusha

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Arusha

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Arusha

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Arusha

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Arusha

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $281 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $27 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $65 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

02:04 2:04 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

617,631

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,611 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD). 1 EUR = 2,907 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Arusha 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $546 in Arusha – Arusha comes out roughly 66% 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 $820 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $27 in Arusha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $546 in Arusha. That makes Arusha about 66% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $546, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $546 in Arusha to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.