Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Ashford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,427
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,427 in Ashford.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $3,351 in Ashford.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $4,276 in Ashford.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • Ashford $4,276

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 35% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Ashford 80% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$20.96 £15.73
-48.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$79.9 £60.0
-37.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$10.49 £7.87
5.82%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$5.74 £4.30
-35.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$2.74 £2.05
-39.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$1.82 £1.37
-28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$3.89 £2.92
-14.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$7.09 £5.32
-21.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$1.48 £1.11
19.59%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$1.32 £0.99
131.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$1.69 £1.26
18.93%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$3.00 £2.25
-7.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$5.22 £3.92
128.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$6.91 £5.18
35.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$14.39 £10.79
4.38%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$3.28 £2.46
-6.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$1.44 £1.08
35.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$2.67 £2.01
-23.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$3.17 £2.38
-30.28%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$1.67 £1.25
20.96%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$1.46 £1.09
24.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.44 £1.08
5.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$1.42 £1.07
-9.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$18.83 £14.13
-72.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$9.24 £6.93
74.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$2.67 £2.00
-26.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$3.63 £2.73
17.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$3.89 £2.92
-92.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
$146 £110
-86.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$6.11 £4.58
-67.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
$1.68 £1.26
-68.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$21.44 £16.08
-73.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$2.07 £1.55
-26.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$35.0K £26.2K
-39.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$41.1K £30.9K
-38.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$244 £183
-74.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$24.30 £18.23
18.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$38.52 £28.90
-10.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$61.3 £45.99
-6.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
$18.74 £14.06
32.39%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$21.45 £16.10
-68.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$1,076 £808
-59.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
$19.8K £14.9K
-40.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$69.5 £52.1
1.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$31.50 £23.63
64.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$76.7 £57.6
41.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$100 £75.1
12.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$1,115 £836
-5.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$1,133 £850
-41.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$1,708 £1,282
37.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$1,425 £1,069
-13.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$6,328 £4,748
-43.85%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$4,671 £3,504
-57.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Ashford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$2,452 £1,840
-60.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
4.91
130.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
Ashford
$1.1K 70.4% $468
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
Ashford
$262 19% $61
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
Ashford
$320 57.6% $117
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
Ashford
$125 19.2% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Ashford
$307 144% $181
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Ashford
$104 48% $34
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Ashford
$176 584% $151

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 152% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $80.0 in Ashford. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $262, with Ashford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇧 Ashford
🕒 Local time
22:27 10:27 PM
05:27 5:27 AM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
58,936
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Ashford 9,010 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Ashford

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ashford cheaper than Mexico City?
Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 55% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Mexico City or Ashford?
On paper, salaries run 152% lower in Ashford. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Ashford?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Ashford?
Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Ashford?
All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Ashford?
At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Mexico City or Ashford more family-friendly?
For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Mexico City or Ashford?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ashford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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