Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $707 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
Learn more

Big Bend Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Big Bend

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $707 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Big Bend $707

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,392 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Big Bend $1,392

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,076 in Big Bend, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Big Bend $2,076

Mexico City costs about 137% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Big Bend is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.95 SZL 65.5

168.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$26.97 SZL 447

92.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$4.93 SZL 81.7

117.65%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.47 SZL 24.44

158.50%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.70 SZL 11.59

130.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.44 SZL 7.25

175.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.48 SZL 24.59

114.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.54 SZL 25.57

253.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.22 SZL 20.15

40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$0.86 SZL 14.27

245.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.58 SZL 26.19

22.15%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$4.62 SZL 76.6

-40.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$18.22 SZL 302

-35.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$12.19 SZL 202

-22.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$4.74 SZL 78.6

224.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$4.22 SZL 70.0

-26.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$0.57 SZL 9.50

243.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.82 SZL 30.10

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.17 SZL 19.41

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.45 SZL 40.54

-17.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$2.14 SZL 35.51

-14.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.92 SZL 15.19

67.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.89 SZL 14.68

47.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$5.71 SZL 94.7

-6.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$3.63 SZL 60.2

346.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$0.59 SZL 9.76

232.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$0.93 SZL 15.34

367.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.22 SZL 20.31

-75.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$23.66 SZL 392

-17.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.82 SZL 30.16

5.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.47 SZL 24.30

-68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$3.51 SZL 58.1

54.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.11 SZL 18.32

33.33%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$12.0K SZL 199.4K

77.68%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$18.2K SZL 302.2K

30.32%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$127 SZL 2,113

-51.37%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$24.33 SZL 403

17.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$23.83 SZL 395

43.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$17.76 SZL 294

228.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$2.38 SZL 39.38

929.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$2.99 SZL 49.65

120.40%

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

$434 MX$8,172

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$35.69 SZL 592

91.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$23.82 SZL 395

130.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$35.60 SZL 590

211.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$54.8 SZL 908

111.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$109 SZL 1,809

980.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$72.5 SZL 1,203

962.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$1,068 SZL 17.7K

140.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$708 SZL 11.7K

100.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$198 SZL 3,288

1708.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$143 SZL 2,378

1339.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$798 SZL 13.2K

25.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

26.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Big Bend: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Big Bend

$73 10.3% 90.6% $698

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Big Bend

$251 35.5% 22.4% $73

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Big Bend

$79 11.2% 60.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Big Bend

$67 9.5% 57.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Big Bend

$176 24.8% 41% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Big Bend

$24 3.4% 66.8% $48

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Big Bend

$38 5.3% 50.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $109 in Big Bend. 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 26% higher in Mexico City, 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $27 in Big Bend. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $251 – making Big Bend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

02:02 2:02 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

6,433

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 SZL = 6.03 USD

100 SZL = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.58 SZL (100 SZL = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 SZL (100 SZL = 5.39 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Big Bend 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Big Bend

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 Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $707 in Big Bend – Big Bend comes out roughly 58% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,061 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Big Bend, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Big Bend, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Big Bend it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $707 in Big Bend to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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