Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $657 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Azua, Dominican Republic
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Azua
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$657
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $657 in Azua.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Azua $657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,055 in Azua.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Azua $1,055

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,453 in Azua.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Azua $1,453

Living in Mexico City is roughly 145% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Azua is 52% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$8.28 DOP 507
28.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$40.74 DOP 2,495
18.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$6.82 DOP 418
51.76%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$1.28 DOP 78.6
188.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$0.71 DOP 43.78
135.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$0.37 DOP 22.87
243.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$2.48 DOP 152
28.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$4.01 DOP 246
32.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$1.18 DOP 72.5
45.76%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$1.77 DOP 108
71.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.00 DOP 61.5
94.00%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$1.44 DOP 88.2
100.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$6.12 DOP 375
79.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$3.58 DOP 219
158.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$4.66 DOP 286
224.68%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$3.74 DOP 229
-18.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.38 DOP 84.4
40.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$3.16 DOP 194
-35.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$2.12 DOP 130
8.96%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$3.41 DOP 209
-40.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$2.92 DOP 179
-38.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$0.93 DOP 57.0
59.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$1.65 DOP 101
-23.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$4.87 DOP 298
8.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$16.30 DOP 998
-1.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$3.01 DOP 185
-34.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$3.42 DOP 210
24.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$2.39 DOP 146
-23.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$3.35 DOP 205
-84.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.43 DOP 87.3
5.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$14.9K DOP 912.0K
46.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$25.9K DOP 1.6M
-7.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$92.4 DOP 5,660
-31.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$26.39 DOP 1,616
3.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$38.56 DOP 2,362
-7.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
$19.95 DOP 1,222
195.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$4.97 DOP 304
28.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$149 DOP 9,113
190.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
$5,366 DOP 328.6K
112.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$26.08 DOP 1,597
161.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$45.68 DOP 2,797
16.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$61.4 DOP 3,758
75.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$66.1 DOP 4,045
77.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$3,481 DOP 213.2K
4.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Azua
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
11
3.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Azua
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Azua
$234 26.8% $86
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Azua
$127 36.1% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Azua
$90 42.5% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Azua
$157 24.9% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Azua
$30 58.3% $42
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Azua
$19 * 24.9% $6.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $41 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $234 per month, with Azua cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇩🇴 Azua
🕒 Local time
17:47 5:47 PM
19:47 7:47 PM
2 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
128,264
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Azua 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Azua

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 Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Azua cheaper than Mexico City?
Azua is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $985 in Azua 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.
How do food prices compare in Mexico City and in Azua?
Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Azua?
All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $657 in Azua – Azua is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Azua?
At $657 in Azua versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Mexico City or in Azua?
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.

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