Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $835 in Assela.

Mexico City $1,567
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,203 in Assela.

Mexico City $2,450
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,571 in Assela.

Mexico City $3,333
Assela $1,571

Living in Mexico City is roughly 88% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Assela is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.96 ETB 636

171.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$42.32 ETB 6,793

18.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$6.66 ETB 1,069

66.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$0.96 ETB 153

283.33%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.64 ETB 102

157.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.68 ETB 109

91.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$0.83 ETB 133

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.20 ETB 353

151.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.05 ETB 169

68.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.17 ETB 188

160.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.22 ETB 357

-9.46%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.78 ETB 286

55.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$7.18 ETB 1,152

65.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.17 ETB 1,632

-8.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$9.17 ETB 1,471

63.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$5.43 ETB 871

-43.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$0.68 ETB 109

186.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.17 ETB 348

-6.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$0.66 ETB 106

234.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.47 ETB 75.4

329.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.05 ETB 169

73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.66 ETB 106

130.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.60 ETB 96.9

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$8.03 ETB 1,290

-34.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$5.49 ETB 881

193.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$0.66 ETB 106

195.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.22 ETB 196

248.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.29 ETB 207

55.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.29 ETB 46.58

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$2.03 ETB 325

176.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.90 ETB 144

68.89%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-61.26%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-55.41%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$201 ETB 32.2K

-68.90%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$7.11 ETB 1,141

304.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$209 ETB 33.5K

-83.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$3.83 ETB 614

74.15%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$137 ETB 22.1K

213.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

-61.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$33.25 ETB 5,337

112.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-26.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

40.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

36.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

18.5

-38.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Assela

$211 25.3% 34.5% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Assela

$77 9.2% 62.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Assela

$119 14.3% 23.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Assela

$417 50% 232% $291

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 89.1% $63

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 89.4% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $42.00 in Assela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $211 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

139,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Assela 14,520 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Assela

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 Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 88% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $137 in Assela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.