Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Calafat $1,982

Mexico City costs about 65% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$7.35 RON 34.96

44.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$38.38 RON 182

35.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.21 RON 34.26

48.82%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.14 RON 10.15

77.57%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.44 RON 6.83

11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.87 RON 4.12

39.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.08 RON 5.12

194.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.83 RON 8.72

197.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.12 RON 5.31

53.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.76 RON 3.63

290.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.35 RON 6.40

42.96%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.33 RON 11.07

18.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.69 RON 31.81

74.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.35 RON 30.16

49.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$6.24 RON 29.64

146.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.01 RON 4.80

206.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.49 RON 7.08

31.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.28 RON 6.06

54.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.44 RON 6.85

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.60 RON 2.86

236.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.75 RON 3.57

142.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.69 RON 3.28

123.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.71 RON 3.38

84.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.31 RON 25.22

0.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$6.27 RON 29.80

158.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$0.88 RON 4.16

122.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.45 RON 6.91

200.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.75 RON 3.55

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$22.34 RON 106

-12.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.53 RON 2.53

262.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.51 RON 2.42

-7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$9.77 RON 46.44

-44.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.51 RON 7.16

-1.99%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$25.5K RON 121.0K

-16.06%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$25.5K RON 121.2K

-6.87%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$214 RON 1,018

-71.07%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$7.55 RON 35.90

277.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$6.33 RON 30.07

438.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$37.82 RON 180

54.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$19.06 RON 90.6

28.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.40 RON 35.17

-10.95%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$412 RON 1,960

5.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$8,151 RON 38.7K

72.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$63.5 RON 302

7.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$42.04 RON 200

30.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$84.2 RON 400

31.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$83.5 RON 397

38.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$380 RON 1,806

210.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$294 RON 1,399

161.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$617 RON 2,931

316.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$468 RON 2,223

203.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,910 RON 9,080

87.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,190 RON 5,658

73.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$812 RON 3,860

23.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

89.17%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Calafat

$294 29% 61.8% $477

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 49.1% $159

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 38% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 21.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 83.1% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 26.5% $19

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 13.6% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $380 in Calafat. 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 23% 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 $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

18,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Calafat 10,830 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Calafat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Calafat. 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.