Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Atotonilco el Alto

For one person, living is cheaper in Atotonilco el Alto: $1,224 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Atotonilco el Alto
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Atotonilco el Alto Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Atotonilco el Alto

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Atotonilco el Alto

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 Atotonilco el Alto actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Mexico City $1,608
Atotonilco el Alto $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,963 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Mexico City $2,549
Atotonilco el Alto $1,963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,703 in Atotonilco el Alto.

Mexico City $3,490
Atotonilco el Alto $2,703

Living in Mexico City is roughly 31% more expensive than in Atotonilco el Alto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Atotonilco el Alto is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.57 MX$198

0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$63.3 MX$1,187

-23.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.16 MX$172

12.99%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.68 MX$69.0

0.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.53 MX$28.73

9.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$1.03 MX$19.25

23.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.15 MX$59.1

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$5.49 MX$103

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.92 MX$36.06

-10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$2.64 MX$49.47

15.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.97 MX$36.85

-1.52%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.70 MX$50.5

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.59 MX$161

27.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$8.92 MX$167

3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$13.63 MX$255

11.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.46 MX$64.8

-11.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.63 MX$30.56

19.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.19 MX$40.99

-7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.92 MX$35.98

20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.79 MX$33.56

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.80 MX$33.77

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.45 MX$27.13

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.20 MX$22.56

5.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.46 MX$83.6

18.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$17.38 MX$326

-7.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.09 MX$39.17

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.97 MX$74.4

7.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.63 MX$11.77

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$32.79 MX$614

-39.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.18 MX$59.6

-42.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$2.64 MX$49.39

-79.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$10.88 MX$204

-51.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.49 MX$28.01

1.34%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$24.6K MX$460.6K

-11.49%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$23.2K MX$434.4K

3.48%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$56.9 MX$1,065

10.78%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$26.54 MX$497

3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$24.36 MX$456

46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$30.94 MX$580

90.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$21.94 MX$411

7.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.30 MX$137

-12.33%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$257 MX$4,822

67.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$5,041 MX$94.5K

126.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$52.7 MX$988

29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$44.51 MX$834

19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$100 MX$1,876

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$95.6 MX$1,791

22.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$519 MX$9,725

114.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$390 MX$7,317

81.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,156 MX$21.7K

123.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$667 MX$12.5K

110.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$1,623 MX$30.4K

123.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,218 MX$22.8K

75.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.99

-5.34%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Atotonilco el Alto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Atotonilco el Alto

$390 31.9% 45% $320

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Atotonilco el Alto

$303 24.8% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Atotonilco el Alto

$193 15.8% 2.7% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Atotonilco el Alto

$132 10.8% 15.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Atotonilco el Alto

$108 8.8% 14.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Atotonilco el Alto

$46 3.7% 36.5% $26

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Atotonilco el Alto

$52 4.2% 103% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $63 in Atotonilco el Alto. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $303, with Atotonilco el Alto cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Atotonilco el Alto

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

26,874

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mexico City Atotonilco el Alto 370 km

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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 Atotonilco el Alto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Atotonilco el Alto is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,836 in Atotonilco el Alto 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 $519 in Atotonilco el Alto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $257 in Atotonilco el Alto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,224 in Atotonilco el Alto versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Atotonilco el Alto but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Atotonilco el Alto 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.