Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chilanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $586 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
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Chilanga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $586 in Chilanga.

Mexico City $1,608
Chilanga $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $929 in Chilanga.

Mexico City $2,549
Chilanga $929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,273 in Chilanga.

Mexico City $3,490
Chilanga $1,273

Living in Mexico City is roughly 174% more expensive than in Chilanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Chilanga is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$5.59 ZMW 113

89.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$29.76 ZMW 599

62.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.16 ZMW 104

100.58%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.85 ZMW 57.5

29.47%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.78 ZMW 15.71

114.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.48 ZMW 9.74

164.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.28 ZMW 25.87

149.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.28 ZMW 45.93

132.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.67 ZMW 33.70

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.17 ZMW 23.66

159.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.12 ZMW 42.67

-8.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.00 ZMW 40.20

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.19 ZMW 205

7.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.18 ZMW 125

49.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.36 ZMW 128

137.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.35 ZMW 67.4

-8.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.47 ZMW 49.74

-21.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.58 ZMW 72.1

-43.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.51 ZMW 30.34

52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.51 ZMW 50.5

-18.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.86 ZMW 37.46

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.15 ZMW 23.15

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.79 ZMW 15.96

60.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.08 ZMW 62.1

72.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$9.92 ZMW 200

62.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.46 ZMW 29.42

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.33 ZMW 46.98

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.54 ZMW 51.2

-27.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.47 ZMW 29.65

-63.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.94 ZMW 99.5

7.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.55 ZMW 31.19

-2.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$7,460 ZMW 150.2K

191.60%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$27.6K ZMW 556.8K

-13.25%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$81.3 ZMW 1,637

-22.50%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$10.26 ZMW 207

166.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$54.8 ZMW 1,103

-34.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.09 ZMW 123

5.09%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$136 ZMW 2,731

218.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$16.5K ZMW 331.7K

-30.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$23.34 ZMW 470

192.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$15.13 ZMW 305

251.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$45.44 ZMW 915

137.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$73.8 ZMW 1,487

58.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-60.86%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chilanga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Chilanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Chilanga

$236 40.3% 26.1% $83

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Chilanga

$110 18.9% 44.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Chilanga

$71 12.1% 54.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Chilanga

$146 25% 16.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1% 83% $60

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Chilanga

$9.9 * 1.7% 61.1% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $30 in Chilanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $236 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

107,051

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.97 USD

100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 20.14 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.97 USD). 1 EUR = 22.49 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Chilanga 14,440 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chilanga

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 Chilanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $586 in Chilanga, so Chilanga is about 64% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $879 in Chilanga to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $136 in Chilanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $30 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $586 in Chilanga versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chilanga but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Chilanga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.