Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chengalpattu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengalpattu: $341 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Chengalpattu
Learn more

Chengalpattu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Chengalpattu

🇮🇳 India

$341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $341 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Chengalpattu $341

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $531 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Chengalpattu $531

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $721 in Chengalpattu, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Chengalpattu $721

Mexico City costs about 354% more than Chengalpattu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Chengalpattu is 75% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$1.03 ₹97.7

969.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$9.24 ₹878

426.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$2.97 ₹282

267.00%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.67 ₹158

120.36%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.41 ₹39.05

297.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.20 ₹18.97

525.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.84 ₹174

76.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.98 ₹283

85.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.66 ₹62.7

157.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.45 ₹42.65

571.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.53 ₹50.3

262.26%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$0.96 ₹91.1

184.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$4.38 ₹416

168.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.80 ₹266

240.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.83 ₹174

65.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.64 ₹60.5

195.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.95 ₹90.0

109.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.45 ₹42.62

386.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.32 ₹30.13

500.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.40 ₹37.54

367.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.46 ₹43.97

213.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.31 ₹29.77

309.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.13 ₹487

1.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.16 ₹395

288.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.07 ₹197

-8.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.04 ₹288

38.82%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.34 ₹317

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.25 ₹23.46

36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$7.06 ₹671

178.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.88 ₹83.5

127.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.25 ₹23.68

108.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.61 ₹153

231.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.08 ₹103

40.74%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$12.4K ₹1.2M

77.96%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$19.4K ₹1.8M

26.49%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$34.67 ₹3,292

76.15%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$3.38 ₹321

745.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$6.68 ₹634

416.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$14.69 ₹1,395

283.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$4.80 ₹455

418.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$2.98 ₹283

123.49%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$47.19 ₹4,481

804.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$1,428 ₹135.6K

714.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$21.59 ₹2,050

214.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$23.24 ₹2,207

123.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$38.95 ₹3,699

172.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$28.68 ₹2,723

292.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$96.8 ₹9,190

958.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$65.0 ₹6,177

905.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$185 ₹17.6K

1146.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$137 ₹13.0K

809.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$713 ₹67.7K

406.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$454 ₹43.1K

326.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$580 ₹55.1K

66.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.75

29.14%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chengalpattu: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Chengalpattu

$65 19.1% 90.1% $589

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Chengalpattu

$95 27.9% 70% $223

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Chengalpattu

$55 16% 73.1% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Chengalpattu

$51 14.8% 66.8% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Chengalpattu

$45 13.1% 64% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Chengalpattu

$21 6.1% 70.4% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Chengalpattu

$10 3% 60.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $96.8 in Chengalpattu. 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 66% 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $9.00 in Chengalpattu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $95.0 – making Chengalpattu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇳 Chengalpattu

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

65,689

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Chengalpattu 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chengalpattu

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 Chengalpattu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 354%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $512 in Chengalpattu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengalpattu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 178% less in Chengalpattu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $47.19 in Chengalpattu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chengalpattu, where all-in costs run around $341, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Chengalpattu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chengalpattu – 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 Chengalpattu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.