Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,374 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
Learn more

Asmara Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,374 in Asmara.

Mexico City $1,548
Asmara $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,159 in Asmara.

Mexico City $2,436
Asmara $2,159

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,943 in Asmara.

Mexico City $3,323
Asmara $2,943

Living in Mexico City is roughly 13% more expensive than in Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Asmara 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$20.76 ERN 312

-46.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$33.78 ERN 507

44.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.02 ERN 90.5

81.06%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$0.77 ERN 11.61

377.92%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.02 ERN 15.37

59.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.97 ERN 14.59

28.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$0.61 ERN 9.20

432.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.56 ERN 23.41

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.26 ERN 33.95

-15.04%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.48 ERN 67.3

-39.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$2.93 ERN 43.95

301.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$27.11 ERN 407

-64.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.94 ERN 149

44.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$12.25 ERN 184

-75.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.26 ERN 18.86

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.03 ERN 30.53

-1.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.14 ERN 17.18

92.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.75 ERN 26.31

9.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.95 ERN 14.27

96.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.25 ERN 33.78

-43.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$11.98 ERN 180

34.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.98 ERN 14.71

93.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.03 ERN 15.43

309.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.14 ERN 2.10

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$7.98 ERN 120

146.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.58 ERN 8.70

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.18 ERN 153

-47.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.55 ERN 38.23

-40.39%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

-67.37%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

-65.42%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$25.48 ERN 383

139.68%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$68.1 ERN 1,023

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$201 ERN 3,012

-82.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$26.63 ERN 400

111.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$4.86 ERN 73.1

411.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$1.22 ERN 18.28

445.90%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$24.87 ERN 374

1617.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

348.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$137 ERN 2,060

-50.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$122 ERN 1,837

-57.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$197 ERN 2,964

-46.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$148 ERN 2,229

-24.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$252 ERN 3,781

307.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$199 ERN 2,984

229.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$454 ERN 6,824

408.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$420 ERN 6,305

195.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

189.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

-21.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-5.83%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Asmara

$199 14.5% 69.6% $456

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Asmara

$364 * 26.5% 14.5% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Asmara

$204 * 14.9% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Asmara

$272 19.8% 78.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Asmara

$294 21.4% 137% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 58.3% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Asmara

$11 * 0.8% 55.4% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $252 in Asmara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $34.00 in Asmara. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $364, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

18:15 6:15 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Asmara 14,020 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Asmara

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 Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Asmara differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,374 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $2,062 in Asmara 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $252 in Asmara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 146% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $24.87 in Asmara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,374 in Asmara versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Asmara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.