Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $329 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
Learn more

Bhilai Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $329 in Bhilai.

Mexico City $1,548
Bhilai $329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $562 in Bhilai.

Mexico City $2,436
Bhilai $562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $794 in Bhilai.

Mexico City $3,323
Bhilai $794

Living in Mexico City is roughly 370% more expensive than in Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Bhilai is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$2.56 ₹243

330.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$8.75 ₹831

456.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$3.21 ₹305

239.56%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.94 ₹184

89.69%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.32 ₹30.46

409.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.20 ₹18.82

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.55 ₹147

109.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.95 ₹280

87.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.56 ₹53.1

203.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.39 ₹36.71

674.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.64 ₹61.1

200.00%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$0.95 ₹89.8

187.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$4.25 ₹404

176.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.79 ₹265

241.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.35 ₹223

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.53 ₹50.4

256.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.93 ₹88.0

113.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.48 ₹45.73

356.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.38 ₹36.32

405.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.44 ₹41.73

325.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.25 ₹23.58

476.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.29 ₹27.48

337.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.11 ₹485

2.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.72 ₹448

242.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.69 ₹160

12.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.77 ₹263

52.35%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.73 ₹354

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.38 ₹36.43

-10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$6.67 ₹634

194.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.04 ₹98.7

92.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.22 ₹20.91

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.80 ₹171

196.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.07 ₹102

42.06%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$11.1K ₹1.1M

98.06%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$18.6K ₹1.8M

31.77%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$32.10 ₹3,048

90.25%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$3.24 ₹308

782.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$4.78 ₹454

621.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$6.76 ₹642

733.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$3.21 ₹305

675.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$3.39 ₹322

96.46%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$81.2 ₹7,709

426.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$1,061 ₹100.8K

996.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$23.83 ₹2,263

184.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$29.50 ₹2,802

76.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$24.14 ₹2,292

339.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$24.16 ₹2,294

365.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$74.7 ₹7,097

1271.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$57.2 ₹5,428

1044.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$263 ₹25.0K

777.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$212 ₹20.1K

485.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$671 ₹63.7K

43.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.82

28.12%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Bhilai

$57 17.4% 91.3% $597

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Bhilai

$93 28.4% 70.6% $225

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Bhilai

$69 21% 66.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Bhilai

$46 13.9% 70% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Bhilai

$40 12.2% 67.7% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Bhilai

$14 4.1% 80.6% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Bhilai

$10 3.1% 59.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $74.7 in Bhilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $9.00 in Bhilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $93.0 per month, with Bhilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

627,734

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bhilai 15,500 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bhilai

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 Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Bhilai differ by about 370% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $329 including rent). Bhilai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $74.7 in Bhilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $81.2 in Bhilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 240% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $329 in Bhilai versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bhilai but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bhilai 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 Bhilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 370% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.