Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Basildon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,374 in Basildon, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Basildon, United Kingdom
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Basildon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,374
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,374 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Basildon $2,374

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,407 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Basildon $3,407

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,441 in Basildon, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Basildon $4,441

Mexico City is about 32% cheaper than Basildon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Basildon sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Basildon by 74%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$199
$20.45 £15.37
-48.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$904
$59.5 £44.72
-18.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$9.14 £6.87
13.24%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.0
$4.76 £3.58
-22.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.14
$3.21 £2.41
-47.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.65
$1.57 £1.18
-19.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.7
$6.78 £5.09
-52.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.2
$3.92 £2.95
35.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.23
$1.32 £0.99
30.30%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.8
$2.10 £1.58
44.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.27
$1.52 £1.14
27.63%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.0
$4.05 £3.04
-28.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$8.53 £6.41
28.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$173
$4.63 £3.48
99.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$283
$11.84 £8.90
27.79%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.0
$3.14 £2.36
-2.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.27
$1.30 £0.98
49.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.85
$1.99 £1.49
2.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.25
$3.26 £2.45
-29.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.03
$1.56 £1.17
30.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.63
$1.85 £1.39
-2.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.64
$1.06 £0.80
39.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.69
$1.18 £0.89
7.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.1
$20.22 £15.20
-73.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$301
$10.71 £8.05
50.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.06
$2.34 £1.76
-15.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.5
$1.63 £1.22
160.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.70
$2.68 £2.02
-88.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$369
$67.6 £50.8
-70.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.34
$5.30 £3.98
-65.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.97
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.0
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.23
$1.93 £1.45
-21.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$406.5K
$38.2K £28.7K
-43.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$448.2K
$40.3K £30.3K
-40.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,177
$284 £213
-77.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$512
$13.36 £10.04
105.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$666
$35.04 £26.34
1.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,101
$44.46 £33.41
32.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$442
$27.04 £20.33
-12.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$14.08 £10.58
-54.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,065
$2,229 £1,675
-80.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$213.5K
$29.2K £22.0K
-60.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,275
$75.6 £56.8
-9.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$993
$52.4 £39.39
1.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,014
$54.3 £40.81
98.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,191
$52.8 £39.67
122.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$1,677 £1,260
-33.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.3K
$1,219 £916
-41.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.4K
$2,358 £1,772
9.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.3K
$2,012 £1,512
-30.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.8K
$5,273 £3,963
-31.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.9K
$3,358 £2,524
-36.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Basildon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.7K
$2,893 £2,175
-67.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
5.4
110.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Basildon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Basildon
$1.2K 71.6% $509
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Basildon
$252 21.2% $68
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Basildon
$309 55.6% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Basildon
$106 32.1% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Basildon
$332 164% $206
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Basildon
$73 1.2% $0.9
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Basildon
$84 * 229% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,677 in Basildon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Basildon are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $59 in Basildon. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $252 in Basildon – so Basildon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇧 Basildon
🕒 Local time
11:42 11:42 AM
17:42 5:42 PM
6 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
184,479
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Basildon 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Basildon

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 Basildon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Basildon?
Basildon costs about 48% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mexico City and in Basildon?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,561 in Basildon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mexico City or Basildon?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $1,677 in Basildon.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to Basildon?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,374 in Basildon. That’s a gap of about 48%.
How expensive is transport in Mexico City compared to Basildon?
Public transport costs about 71% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Mexico City or in Basildon?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,374 in Basildon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Mexico City or to Basildon?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Basildon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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