Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chihuahua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chihuahua: $1,228 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Chihuahua
Learn more

Chihuahua Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Chihuahua

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,228 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Chihuahua $1,228

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,828 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Chihuahua $1,828

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,428 in Chihuahua, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Chihuahua $2,428

Mexico City costs about 31% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Chihuahua is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.87 MX$203

-2.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$32.23 MX$600

50.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.91 MX$203

-5.13%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.44 MX$45.48

51.23%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.22 MX$22.78

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.78 MX$14.59

62.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.37 MX$44.15

34.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.85 MX$71.8

37.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.64 MX$30.48

4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$3.16 MX$58.8

-3.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.97 MX$36.78

-1.52%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.60 MX$48.44

11.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$9.26 MX$172

18.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.90 MX$129

34.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.40 MX$231

22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.44 MX$45.51

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.56 MX$29.03

24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.97 MX$36.65

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$2.70 MX$50.3

-14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.48 MX$46.20

-17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.58 MX$48.06

-30.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.31 MX$24.38

12.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.17 MX$21.80

8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$4.41 MX$82.2

20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$10.15 MX$189

58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.45 MX$27.05

36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.88 MX$53.7

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.63 MX$11.80

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$35.17 MX$655

-43.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.72 MX$50.7

-32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.73 MX$13.58

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$9.76 MX$182

-45.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.47 MX$27.43

2.72%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$23.4K MX$436.8K

-7.21%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$23.5K MX$437.0K

2.25%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$81.3 MX$1,514

-22.51%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$20.75 MX$386

32.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$22.96 MX$428

55.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$28.70 MX$535

105.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$15.92 MX$297

48.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.75 MX$88.5

34.74%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$264 MX$4,914

63.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$3,304 MX$61.6K

245.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$48.00 MX$894

42.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$24.12 MX$449

120.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$99.8 MX$1,860

7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$87.0 MX$1,621

34.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$593 MX$11.0K

87.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$453 MX$8,445

56.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,068 MX$19.9K

142.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$693 MX$12.9K

102.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$3,329 MX$62.0K

9.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,095 MX$20.4K

94.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$838 MX$15.6K

12.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.84

4.70%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chihuahua: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Chihuahua

$453 36.9% 36.2% $257

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Chihuahua

$274 22.3% 14.3% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Chihuahua

$177 14.4% 11.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Chihuahua

$117 9.5% 25.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Chihuahua

$125 10.2% 0.8% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Chihuahua

$38 3.1% 46.8% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Chihuahua

$44 3.6% 73.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $593 in Chihuahua. 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 13% 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $32 in Chihuahua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $274 – making Chihuahua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Chihuahua

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

925,762

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mexico City Chihuahua 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chihuahua

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 Chihuahua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 31% more than Chihuahua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,841 in Chihuahua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chihuahua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $593 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $264 in Chihuahua. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,228 in Chihuahua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chihuahua – 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 Chihuahua. 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.