Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
Learn more

Cahul Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $627 in Cahul.

Mexico City $1,608
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $917 in Cahul.

Mexico City $2,549
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Mexico City $3,490
Cahul $1,207

Living in Mexico City is roughly 156% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Cahul is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$8.19 MDL 146

29.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$23.41 MDL 417

106.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.36 MDL 185

-0.10%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.69 MDL 30.11

118.34%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.11 MDL 19.82

50.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.53 MDL 9.53

139.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.01 MDL 35.81

58.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.76 MDL 31.45

201.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.20 MDL 21.36

43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.49 MDL 8.72

520.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.60 MDL 28.45

21.25%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.24 MDL 39.89

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$6.51 MDL 116

68.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.54 MDL 80.9

103.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.17 MDL 110

145.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$0.98 MDL 17.39

211.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.19 MDL 39.09

-11.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.81 MDL 32.25

12.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$2.37 MDL 42.33

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.76 MDL 13.54

168.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.52 MDL 9.22

246.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.43 MDL 7.74

244.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.53 MDL 9.50

139.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.39 MDL 60.5

56.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.38 MDL 78.1

267.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.41 MDL 25.19

40.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.97 MDL 35.06

115.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.27 MDL 4.81

14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.87 MDL 51.1

-35.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.24 MDL 4.27

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$5.44 MDL 97.0

-2.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.56 MDL 27.74

-3.21%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

-34.64%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

-1.80%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$221 MDL 3,948

-71.56%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$7.65 MDL 136

258.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$11.03 MDL 197

223.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.62 MDL 136

-16.01%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$110 MDL 1,964

291.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

117.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$45.08 MDL 804

51.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$56.4 MDL 1,005

91.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$51.0 MDL 909

130.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$507 MDL 9,048

86.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

41.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 49.5% $158

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 31% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 56% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 90.5% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 78.8% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 79.8% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 86% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

10:18 10:18 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

39,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Cahul 11,020 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 86% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $627 in Cahul – Cahul is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cahul wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.