Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Chingola

For one person, living is cheaper in Chingola: $428 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Chingola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $428 in Chingola.

Mexico City $1,548
Chingola $428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $731 in Chingola.

Mexico City $2,436
Chingola $731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,033 in Chingola.

Mexico City $3,323
Chingola $1,033

Living in Mexico City is roughly 262% more expensive than in Chingola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Chingola is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$15.26 ZMW 304

-27.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$25.50 ZMW 507

90.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.52 ZMW 10.33

213.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.37 ZMW 7.29

237.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$0.61 ZMW 12.20

432.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.23 ZMW 24.41

349.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.76 ZMW 35.04

-3.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.20 ZMW 23.79

151.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.48 ZMW 49.29

-22.58%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.84 ZMW 36.67

48.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.11 ZMW 102

86.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$4.53 ZMW 90.1

218.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.98 ZMW 39.48

52.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.98 ZMW 39.37

-4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.01 ZMW 40.05

-1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.99 ZMW 39.49

10.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.03 ZMW 60.2

-36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.54 ZMW 30.68

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.88 ZMW 17.59

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$1.54 ZMW 30.63

238.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.96 ZMW 98.6

226.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.62 ZMW 12.34

206.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$0.78 ZMW 15.60

441.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.58 ZMW 11.61

-10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.17 ZMW 202

-47.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.34 ZMW 26.68

13.43%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$49.29 ZMW 980

23.90%

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

$28.58 MX$528

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$9.97 ZMW 198

465.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

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

$427 MX$7,891

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$20.29 ZMW 404

234.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$12.36 ZMW 246

320.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$50.3 ZMW 1,001

110.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$75.9 ZMW 1,509

48.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$15.1K ZMW 300.9K

-87.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$112 ZMW 2,223

762.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chingola: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Chingola

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Chingola

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Chingola

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Chingola

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Chingola

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Chingola

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Chingola

–

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 763% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $26.00 in Chingola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $163 per month, with Chingola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇿🇲 Chingola

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

210,073

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Chingola 14,320 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Chingola

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 Chingola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chingola is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 262% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 763% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chingola – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $428 in Chingola versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chingola but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Chingola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Chingola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 262% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.