Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,524 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,524 in Bern.

Mexico City $1,608
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $5,348 in Bern.

Mexico City $2,549
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $7,171 in Bern.

Mexico City $3,490
Bern $7,171

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 54% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Bern 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$28.73 CHF 23.81

-63.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$123 CHF 102

-60.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$15.88 CHF 13.16

-34.82%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$6.89 CHF 5.71

-46.44%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$6.13 CHF 5.08

-72.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$6.96 CHF 5.77

-81.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$9.11 CHF 7.55

-64.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$8.06 CHF 6.68

-34.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$2.21 CHF 1.84

-22.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$2.92 CHF 2.42

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$3.17 CHF 2.63

-38.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-62.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$24.56 CHF 20.35

-55.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$29.33 CHF 24.31

-68.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$38.43 CHF 31.85

-60.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$3.80 CHF 3.15

-19.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$2.01 CHF 1.67

-3.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$2.60 CHF 2.15

-21.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$4.62 CHF 3.83

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.65 CHF 1.37

23.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$2.05 CHF 1.70

-12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$2.21 CHF 1.84

-33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.28 CHF 1.06

-0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$11.13 CHF 9.23

-52.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$11.91 CHF 9.87

35.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.02 CHF 2.51

40.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$6.35 CHF 5.26

-95.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$97.9 CHF 81.1

-79.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$7.99 CHF 6.62

-76.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-88.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$110 CHF 91.3

-95.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-36.02%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$38.5K CHF 31.9K

-43.53%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-39.43%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$272 CHF 225

-76.83%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$28.10 CHF 23.29

-2.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$54.0 CHF 44.79

-33.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$85.2 CHF 70.6

-30.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$47.65 CHF 39.50

-50.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$25.53 CHF 21.16

-74.93%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$3,123 CHF 2,589

-86.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

-62.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$144 CHF 119

-52.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$61.4 CHF 50.9

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$155 CHF 129

-30.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$198 CHF 164

-40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$2,102 CHF 1,743

-47.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,584 CHF 1,313

-55.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$3,558 CHF 2,949

-27.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$2,670 CHF 2,213

-47.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-80.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-84.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$6,701 CHF 5,555

-85.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.46

361.38%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 123% $874

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Bern

$570 16.2% 78.3% $250

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Bern

$474 13.5% 139% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Bern

$251 7.1% 61.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Bern

$354 10% 181% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Bern

$136 3.9% 89.9% $65

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Bern

$155 4.4% 507% $129

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays about 7.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $123 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $570 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

15:55 3:55 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

128,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.829 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Bern 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Bern. 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 86% 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 $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $3,524 in Bern – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,524 in Bern, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Bern. 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 – similar infrastructure 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 54% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.