Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,669 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
176

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,669 in Basel.

Mexico City $1,608
Basel $3,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $5,649 in Basel.

Mexico City $2,549
Basel $5,649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $7,629 in Basel.

Mexico City $3,490
Basel $7,629

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 56% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Basel 170% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$30.27 CHF 25.06

-64.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$125 CHF 103

-61.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$17.91 CHF 14.83

-42.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$6.52 CHF 5.40

-43.40%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$6.47 CHF 5.36

-74.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$5.91 CHF 4.89

-78.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$9.41 CHF 7.79

-66.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$9.48 CHF 7.85

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-24.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$3.04 CHF 2.52

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$3.27 CHF 2.71

-40.67%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$7.97 CHF 6.60

-63.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$26.34 CHF 21.81

-58.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$27.32 CHF 22.62

-66.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$41.15 CHF 34.07

-63.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.70 CHF 3.06

-17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$3.03 CHF 2.51

-33.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$4.54 CHF 3.76

-49.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.68 CHF 1.39

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.91 CHF 1.58

-5.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-34.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.60 CHF 1.32

-20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$11.15 CHF 9.23

-52.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.90 CHF 9.85

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.44 CHF 2.02

-18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.03 CHF 2.51

40.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$5.21 CHF 4.32

-94.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$105 CHF 86.7

-81.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$7.98 CHF 6.61

-76.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$4.61 CHF 3.82

-88.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$83.3 CHF 68.9

-93.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$2.42 CHF 2.00

-37.60%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$38.3K CHF 31.7K

-43.24%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-40.01%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$296 CHF 245

-78.69%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$46.31 CHF 38.34

-40.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$63.2 CHF 52.3

-43.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$82.0 CHF 67.9

-28.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$58.3 CHF 48.24

-59.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$22.84 CHF 18.91

-71.98%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$3,139 CHF 2,599

-86.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$32.6K CHF 27.0K

-64.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$144 CHF 120

-52.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$79.9 CHF 66.1

-33.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$159 CHF 132

-32.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$195 CHF 162

-39.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$2,087 CHF 1,728

-46.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,646 CHF 1,363

-56.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$3,618 CHF 2,995

-28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$2,966 CHF 2,456

-52.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$17.5K CHF 14.5K

-79.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-84.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$7,080 CHF 5,862

-86.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.42

369.01%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Basel

$1.6K 44.9% 132% $936

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Basel

$584 15.9% 82.6% $264

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Basel

$490 13.3% 147% $291

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Basel

$261 7.1% 67.1% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Basel

$405 11% 221% $279

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Basel

$128 3.5% 78% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Basel

$157 4.3% 515% $131

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $2,087 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $584 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

08:31 8:31 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

174,491

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Basel 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Basel

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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $2,087 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $3,139 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,669 in Basel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.