Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Baabda

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
Learn more

Baabda Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,008 in Baabda.

Mexico City $1,567
Baabda $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,611 in Baabda.

Mexico City $2,450
Baabda $1,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,213 in Baabda.

Mexico City $3,333
Baabda $2,213

Living in Mexico City is roughly 55% more expensive than in Baabda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Baabda is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

-10.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-26.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

10.12%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

-20.00%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

-31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

-10.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

235.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

-14.10%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

-24.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

8.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

-11.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

60.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

26.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

75.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

74.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

71.37%

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

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

-59.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

-76.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

-74.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

44.76%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-60.51%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

-22.90%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$236 LBP 21.2M

-73.57%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

28.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

-8.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-33.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$686 LBP 61.4M

-37.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

10.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

2.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

3.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$139 LBP 12.4M

-21.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$118 LBP 10.6M

-5.20%

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

2.73%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Baabda

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Baabda

$277 27.5% 14.1% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Baabda

$228 22.7% 12.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Baabda

$169 16.8% 9.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Baabda

$297 29.4% 136% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Baabda

$20 * 2% 71.4% $50

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Baabda

$16 * 1.6% 36.2% $9.3

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 $68.0 in Baabda. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $277, with Baabda cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇧 Baabda

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

03:30 3:30 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Baabda 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Baabda

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 Baabda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Baabda differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,008 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $1,512 in Baabda 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 $686 in Baabda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda 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.

Expats usually find Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.