Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Benalmadena

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,832 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Benalmadena outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,832 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Benalmadena $1,832

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,761 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Benalmadena $2,761

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $3,690 in Benalmadena, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Benalmadena $3,690

Mexico City is about 14% cheaper than Benalmadena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Benalmadena sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Benalmadena by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$14.75 €13.12

-27.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$68.0 €60.5

-26.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.36 €8.33

18.59%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.18 €1.94

68.81%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.10 €1.87

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.08 €1.85

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.28 €2.92

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.44 €3.95

24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.18 €1.05

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.62 €1.44

88.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.80 €1.60

11.67%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.49 €3.10

-20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$15.49 €13.78

-23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$8.27 €7.36

12.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$16.01 €14.24

-6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.49 €2.22

23.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.94 €1.73

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.77 €1.58

14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.58 €2.29

-14.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.85 €1.64

9.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.10 €1.87

-13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.49 €1.33

2.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.76 €0.68

68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$6.68 €5.94

-21.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$6.65 €5.91

142.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.18 €1.05

65.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.91 €1.70

122.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.90 €1.69

-83.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$31.58 €28.09

-37.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.84 €1.64

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.22 €1.09

-56.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$21.97 €19.54

-74.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.79 €1.59

-15.08%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$34.6K €30.8K

-39.24%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$29.5K €26.2K

-14.67%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$140 €124

-55.24%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$12.81 €11.39

124.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$32.18 €28.63

7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$48.00 €42.69

18.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$16.10 €14.32

54.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$7.91 €7.04

-15.68%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$557 €496

-22.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$9,462 €8,417

24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$88.8 €79.0

-20.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$39.00 €34.69

32.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$95.5 €85.0

13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$111 €98.8

1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$972 €864

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$895 €796

-25.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,693 €1,506

38.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,486 €1,322

-17.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$4,159 €3,699

-14.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$3,495 €3,109

-43.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$3,931 €3,497

-75.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.29

243.47%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Benalmadena: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Benalmadena

$895 48.9% 34.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Benalmadena

$277 15.1% 14.2% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Benalmadena

$214 11.7% 5.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Benalmadena

$150 8.2% 2.8% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Benalmadena

$185 10.1% 46.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Benalmadena

$64 3.5% 9.4% $6.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Benalmadena

$47 2.6% 82.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $972 in Benalmadena. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 303% higher in Benalmadena, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $68.0 in Benalmadena. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $277 in Benalmadena – so Benalmadena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

75,801

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Benalmadena 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Benalmadena

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 Benalmadena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $2,748 in Benalmadena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Benalmadena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $68.0 in Benalmadena. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Benalmadena at $1,832. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benalmadena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benalmadena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.