Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cary, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,842 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cary, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,842 in Cary, NC.

Mexico City $1,567
Cary, NC $2,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $4,173 in Cary, NC.

Mexico City $2,450
Cary, NC $4,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $5,505 in Cary, NC.

Mexico City $3,333
Cary, NC $5,505

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 45% less than in Cary, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Cary, NC 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$19.35 $19.35

-44.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$99.3 $99.3

-49.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.42 $10.42

6.53%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.06 $5.06

-27.27%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.03 $2.03

-18.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.85 $1.85

-29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$4.51 $4.51

-26.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.39 $6.39

-13.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.04 $1.04

70.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$5.51 $5.51

-44.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$6.18 $6.18

-67.48%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.02 $4.02

-31.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$17.74 $17.74

-32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$16.62 $16.62

-43.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$17.96 $17.96

-16.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$6.25 $6.25

-50.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.93 $1.93

1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.75 $3.75

-45.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$6.90 $6.90

-67.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$3.25 $3.25

-37.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$4.17 $4.17

-56.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.97 $2.97

-48.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.38 $2.38

-46.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$10.06 $10.06

-47.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$9.71 $9.71

66.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.33 $2.33

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.04 $4.04

5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$2.53 $2.53

-87.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$78.7 $78.7

-74.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.93 $0.93

63.44%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$28.7K $28.7K

-12.15%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$179 $179

-65.06%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$47.18 $47.18

-39.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$67.6 $67.6

-49.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$77.8 $77.8

-26.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$21.88 $21.88

13.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$15.26 $15.26

-56.29%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,455 $1,455

-70.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$65.9 $65.9

7.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$32.18 $32.18

61.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$119 $119

-8.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$137 $137

-18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,904 $1,904

-44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,407 $1,407

-52.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,710 $2,710

-13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$2,162 $2,162

-43.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,859 $2,859

24.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,643 $2,643

-25.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$6,032 $6,032

-83.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.42

76.01%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cary, NC: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.5% 112% $742

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Cary, NC

$486 17.1% 50.8% $164

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Cary, NC

$298 10.5% 46.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Cary, NC

$160 5.6% 3.1% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Cary, NC

$294 10.3% 134% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Cary, NC

$108 3.8% 53.8% $38

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Cary, NC

$89 * 3.1% 245% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,904 in Cary, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays 519% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $99.0 in Cary, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $486 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

176,987

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Cary, NC 2,700 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cary, NC

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 Cary, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 519% lower in Cary, NC. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,904 in Cary, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $1,455 in Cary, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,842 in Cary, NC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Cary, NC. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cary, NC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.