Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ciudad Juarez

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Juarez: $1,140 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Juarez
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Ciudad Juarez Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ciudad Juarez

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Ciudad Juarez

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Ciudad Juarez $1,140

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,839 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Ciudad Juarez $1,839

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,538 in Ciudad Juarez, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Ciudad Juarez $2,538

Mexico City costs about 41% more than Ciudad Juarez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Ciudad Juarez is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$9.24 MX$174

14.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$32.44 MX$610

49.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.16 MX$191

1.87%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.82 MX$52.9

30.85%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.07 MX$20.07

56.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.70 MX$13.08

81.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.03 MX$38.21

57.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$4.19 MX$78.7

26.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.74 MX$32.64

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.31 MX$43.35

31.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.58 MX$29.68

22.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.26 MX$42.56

27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.64 MX$237

-13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.68 MX$125

38.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.92 MX$224

26.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.63 MX$49.35

15.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.07 MX$38.84

-6.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.79 MX$33.62

13.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.06 MX$38.69

12.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.63 MX$30.67

25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.19 MX$41.08

-17.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.56 MX$29.27

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.06 MX$19.97

19.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.50 MX$84.7

17.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.59 MX$199

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.24 MX$23.29

59.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.22 MX$60.5

31.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.63 MX$11.79

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$27.40 MX$515

-27.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$4.14 MX$77.7

-55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.11 MX$20.83

-52.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$16.00 MX$301

-66.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.33 MX$25.01

13.53%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$20.8K MX$391.8K

4.35%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$24.2K MX$454.9K

-0.91%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$82.7 MX$1,554

-23.82%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$22.53 MX$423

21.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$28.53 MX$536

25.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$32.02 MX$602

84.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$14.54 MX$273

62.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.35 MX$81.8

47.13%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$218 MX$4,096

98.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,777 MX$52.2K

311.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$58.1 MX$1,092

17.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$32.58 MX$612

63.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$72.9 MX$1,369

47.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$81.1 MX$1,524

44.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$607 MX$11.4K

83.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$384 MX$7,218

84.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,010 MX$19.0K

156.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$851 MX$16.0K

65.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$955 MX$17.9K

280.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$686 MX$12.9K

211.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$567 MX$10.7K

66.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.32

0.27%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ciudad Juarez: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ciudad Juarez

$384 33.7% 45.9% $326

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ciudad Juarez

$268 23.5% 16.2% $52

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ciudad Juarez

$164 14.4% 17.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ciudad Juarez

$110 9.7% 29.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ciudad Juarez

$134 11.7% 6.1% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ciudad Juarez

$41 3.6% 43.2% $31

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ciudad Juarez

$40 3.5% 55.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $607 in Ciudad Juarez. 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 67% higher in Mexico City. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $32 in Ciudad Juarez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $268 – making Ciudad Juarez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Ciudad Juarez

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,501,551

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ciudad Juarez 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ciudad Juarez

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 Ciudad Juarez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez – Ciudad Juarez comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,710 in Ciudad Juarez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ciudad Juarez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $607 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $32 in Ciudad Juarez. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez. That makes Ciudad Juarez about 29% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,140 in Ciudad Juarez, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad Juarez – 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 Ciudad Juarez. 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.