Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bragadiru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bragadiru: $1,097 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Bragadiru
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,097
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,097 in Bragadiru.

  • Mexico City $1,548
  • Bragadiru $1,097

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,706 in Bragadiru.

  • Mexico City $2,436
  • Bragadiru $1,706

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,314 in Bragadiru.

  • Mexico City $3,323
  • Bragadiru $2,314

Living in Mexico City is roughly 41% more expensive than in Bragadiru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Bragadiru is 19% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 MX$204
$12.56 RON 59.5
-12.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.68 MX$900
$58.6 RON 277
-16.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.90 MX$201
$7.34 RON 34.71
48.50%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$3.20 RON 15.12
15.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 MX$30.18
$1.79 RON 8.48
-8.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 MX$23.07
$1.28 RON 6.08
-2.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 MX$60.1
$2.26 RON 10.69
43.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 MX$102
$3.14 RON 14.88
76.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$31.50
$1.65 RON 7.81
3.03%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$1.18 RON 5.59
155.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.53
$1.66 RON 7.85
15.66%
Eggs
$2.73 MX$50.5
$3.07 RON 14.54
-11.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.77 MX$218
$8.59 RON 40.64
37.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 MX$176
$6.95 RON 32.88
37.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.41 MX$266
$9.03 RON 42.74
59.58%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$1.25 RON 5.92
141.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.01
$1.59 RON 7.51
18.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.70
$1.60 RON 7.59
24.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$40.38
$2.55 RON 12.06
-14.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.43
$0.92 RON 4.36
108.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MX$34.49
$0.92 RON 4.36
103.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 MX$26.62
$1.00 RON 4.73
44.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.39
$0.98 RON 4.62
29.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.22 MX$96.4
$6.23 RON 29.47
-16.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.17 MX$299
$6.30 RON 29.83
156.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 MX$35.03
$1.02 RON 4.82
86.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 MX$78.0
$1.78 RON 8.43
137.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.30
$0.75 RON 3.56
-54.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.65 MX$363
$21.73 RON 103
-9.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.90
$0.66 RON 3.13
203.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 MX$9.67
$0.65 RON 3.07
-20.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.34 MX$98.7
$6.38 RON 30.17
-16.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.13
$1.85 RON 8.74
-17.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K MX$408.0K
$28.0K RON 132.7K
-21.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$452.9K
$25.6K RON 121.0K
-4.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 MX$1,129
$167 RON 790
-63.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.58 MX$528
$7.56 RON 35.75
278.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.47 MX$637
$7.72 RON 36.52
346.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,042
$43.43 RON 205
29.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.88 MX$460
$20.90 RON 98.9
19.04%
Cinema Ticket
$6.66 MX$123
$6.77 RON 32.04
-1.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$427 MX$7,891
$572 RON 2,709
-25.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K MX$215.0K
$6,994 RON 33.1K
66.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 MX$1,253
$89.0 RON 421
-23.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.0 MX$960
$42.47 RON 201
22.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 MX$1,959
$87.0 RON 412
21.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 MX$2,080
$87.2 RON 413
29.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 MX$18.9K
$380 RON 1,800
169.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 MX$12.1K
$289 RON 1,369
126.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,308 MX$42.7K
$589 RON 2,784
292.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,242 MX$22.9K
$450 RON 2,128
176.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,613 MX$66.8K
$1,871 RON 8,851
93.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,936 MX$35.8K
$1,335 RON 6,316
45.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Bragadiru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$964 MX$17.8K
$1,055 RON 4,992
-8.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
6.75
67.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bragadiru: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$654
Bragadiru
$289 55.8% $365
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$318
Bragadiru
$211 33.5% $107
Eating Out
Mexico City
$204
Bragadiru
$191 6.4% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$152
Bragadiru
$138 9.6% $15
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$124
Bragadiru
$182 46.8% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Bragadiru
$57 18.3% $13
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Bragadiru
$29 11.7% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $380 in Bragadiru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bragadiru pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $59.0 in Bragadiru. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $211, with Bragadiru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇷🇴 Bragadiru
🕒 Local time
06:32 6:32 AM
15:32 3:32 PM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
15,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Bragadiru 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Bragadiru

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 Bragadiru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bragadiru cheaper than Mexico City?
Bragadiru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Mexico City or Bragadiru?
On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Bragadiru. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Bragadiru?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $380 in Bragadiru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Bragadiru runs roughly 11% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $572 in Bragadiru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Bragadiru?
At $1,097 in Bragadiru versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bragadiru but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bragadiru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Mexico City or Bragadiru more family-friendly?
For families, Bragadiru is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Mexico City or Bragadiru?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Bragadiru are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bragadiru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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