Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arzamas

For one person, living is cheaper in Arzamas: $1,117 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Arzamas
Learn more

Arzamas Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arzamas

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,117 in Arzamas.

Mexico City $1,608
Arzamas $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,737 in Arzamas.

Mexico City $2,549
Arzamas $1,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,357 in Arzamas.

Mexico City $3,490
Arzamas $2,357

Living in Mexico City is roughly 44% more expensive than in Arzamas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Arzamas is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$12.60 ₽1,015

-15.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$38.36 ₽3,090

26.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.10 ₽491

69.67%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.65 ₽214

39.25%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.08 ₽86.9

54.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.66 ₽52.9

92.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.90 ₽153

67.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.22 ₽260

64.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.30 ₽105

32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.79 ₽63.8

284.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.57 ₽127

23.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.68 ₽136

72.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.96 ₽802

10.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.69 ₽458

62.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.43 ₽1,001

21.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.79 ₽144

70.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.79 ₽144

8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.58 ₽127

28.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.03 ₽244

-23.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.77 ₽61.9

164.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.54 ₽43.79

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.31 ₽105

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.73 ₽59.0

73.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.69 ₽216

97.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.28 ₽667

94.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.20 ₽97.0

65.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.06 ₽166

106.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.51 ₽40.90

-39.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$26.27 ₽2,115

-24.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.27 ₽183

-18.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.34 ₽27.10

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.64 ₽454

-6.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.92 ₽74.5

64.13%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-64.09%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-41.76%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$143 ₽11.5K

-55.85%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$7.06 ₽568

287.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$7.59 ₽611

369.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$36.06 ₽2,904

63.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$25.44 ₽2,049

-7.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.94 ₽559

-7.78%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$373 ₽30.1K

15.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$7,263 ₽584.9K

57.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$76.4 ₽6,156

-10.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$51.3 ₽4,128

3.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$116 ₽9,369

-7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$113 ₽9,109

3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$303 ₽24.4K

266.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$328 ₽26.4K

116.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$497 ₽40.0K

421.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$596 ₽48.0K

135.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,238 ₽180.2K

62.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,752 ₽141.1K

21.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

21.45

-47.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Arzamas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Arzamas

$328 29.4% 53.8% $382

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Arzamas

$215 19.2% 32.8% $105

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Arzamas

$174 15.6% 12.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Arzamas

$161 14.4% 3.1% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Arzamas

$157 14.1% 24.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Arzamas

$50 4.5% 30.4% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Arzamas

$32 2.9% 26.7% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $303 in Arzamas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $38 in Arzamas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $215 per month, with Arzamas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇺 Arzamas

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

103,396

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arzamas 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arzamas

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 Arzamas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,117 in Arzamas, so Arzamas is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,676 in Arzamas 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $303 in Arzamas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,117 in Arzamas – Arzamas is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 25% less than in Arzamas. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Arzamas 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.