Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Catania

For one person, living is cheaper in Catania: $1,560 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Catania
Learn more

Catania Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,560

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,560 in Catania.

Mexico City $1,608
Catania $1,560

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,361 in Catania.

Mexico City $2,549
Catania $2,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,163 in Catania.

Mexico City $3,490
Catania $3,163

Living in Mexico City is roughly 3% more expensive than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Catania 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$16.63 €14.84

-36.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$55.1 €49.12

-12.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$11.11 €9.91

-6.84%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.16 €1.93

70.83%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$2.99 €2.66

-44.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$2.08 €1.86

-38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$6.54 €5.83

-51.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$4.24 €3.78

25.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.27 €1.13

35.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.67 €1.49

82.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.56 €2.28

-24.22%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.41 €3.05

-15.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.34 €10.12

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$11.82 €10.55

-21.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$15.62 €13.93

-3.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$1.99 €1.78

53.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.68 €1.50

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$1.39 €1.24

46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$2.63 €2.35

-12.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.75 €1.56

16.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.26 €1.12

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.27 €1.14

16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.43 €0.38

195.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.82 €6.08

-22.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.60 €6.78

111.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.83 €1.63

8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.52 €1.35

179.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$1.54 €1.37

-79.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$38.74 €34.57

-49.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$4.39 €3.92

-58.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.15 €1.03

-53.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$22.20 €19.81

-76.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$2.04 €1.82

-25.98%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$35.6K €31.8K

-38.92%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$36.4K €32.5K

-34.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$307 €274

-79.46%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$10.53 €9.39

160.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$35.24 €31.44

1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$53.6 €47.79

10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$14.42 €12.86

63.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.06 €8.08

-29.36%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$449 €401

-3.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$6,702 €5,980

70.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$84.2 €75.1

-18.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$33.47 €29.86

58.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$86.7 €77.3

24.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$128 €114

-8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$638 €569

74.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$400 €357

77.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,115 €995

132.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$764 €682

83.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,060 €1,838

76.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$1,478 €1,318

44.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,759 €1,569

-46.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.55

219.72%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Catania

$400 25.7% 43.6% $310

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Catania

$277 17.8% 13.2% $42

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Catania

$254 16.3% 27.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Catania

$149 9.6% 4.2% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Catania

$352 22.6% 180% $226

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Catania

$72 4.6% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Catania

$55 3.5% 116% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $638 in Catania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $55 in Catania. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $277, with Catania cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

17:49 5:49 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

298,037

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Catania 10,670 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Catania is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $638 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,560 in Catania – Catania is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 49% less than in Catania. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Catania is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.