Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ciudad Obregon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon: $1,129 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad Obregon
Learn more

Ciudad Obregon Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ciudad Obregon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,129

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon.

Mexico City $1,608
Ciudad Obregon $1,129

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,686 in Ciudad Obregon.

Mexico City $2,549
Ciudad Obregon $1,686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,243 in Ciudad Obregon.

Mexico City $3,490
Ciudad Obregon $2,243

Living in Mexico City is roughly 42% more expensive than in Ciudad Obregon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ciudad Obregon is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$10.79 MX$200

-1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$35.52 MX$660

36.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$8.68 MX$161

19.24%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$2.90 MX$53.8

27.24%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$1.19 MX$22.16

40.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$0.82 MX$15.30

54.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$2.55 MX$47.30

25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$3.84 MX$71.3

38.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$1.69 MX$31.41

1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$2.26 MX$41.95

34.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$0.89 MX$16.51

117.98%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$3.10 MX$57.6

-6.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$4.24 MX$78.7

158.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.47 MX$102

69.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$10.70 MX$199

41.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$1.79 MX$33.26

70.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

$1.11 MX$20.59

74.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

$1.11 MX$20.62

82.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$1.30 MX$24.15

77.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

$1.80 MX$33.35

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$2.16 MX$40.16

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$0.56 MX$10.44

164.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

$1.40 MX$26.01

-9.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

$4.19 MX$77.8

26.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$8.81 MX$164

82.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

$0.56 MX$10.48

253.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$1.31 MX$24.27

224.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$0.68 MX$12.55

-54.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

$26.31 MX$489

-25.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

$1.84 MX$34.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$1.68 MX$31.25

-68.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$10.65 MX$198

-50.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

$1.30 MX$24.06

16.15%

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$24.4K MX$452.8K

-10.79%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$23.5K MX$435.6K

2.26%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$95.4 MX$1,771

-33.95%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$27.91 MX$518

-1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$31.31 MX$581

13.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$32.63 MX$606

80.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

$20.11 MX$373

17.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.68 MX$68.3

73.91%

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

$432 MX$8,015

$293 MX$5,446

47.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

$4,826 MX$89.6K

136.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

$43.53 MX$808

56.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

$32.76 MX$608

62.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

$64.7 MX$1,201

66.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

$65.7 MX$1,220

78.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$609 MX$11.3K

82.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$420 MX$7,802

69.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$1,134 MX$21.1K

128.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$660 MX$12.3K

113.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

$1,882 MX$35.0K

92.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

$1,110 MX$20.6K

92.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,175 MX$21.8K

-19.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.6

-2.16%

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 Obregon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ciudad Obregon

$420 37.2% 40.9% $290

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ciudad Obregon

$206 18.3% 35.5% $114

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ciudad Obregon

$176 15.6% 11.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ciudad Obregon

$93 8.2% 40.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ciudad Obregon

$155 13.7% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ciudad Obregon

$40 3.5% 44.3% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ciudad Obregon

$39 3.5% 54.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ciudad Obregon pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $36 in Ciudad Obregon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $206 per month, with Ciudad Obregon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Ciudad Obregon

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

329,404

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Ciudad Obregon 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ciudad Obregon

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 Obregon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ciudad Obregon wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ciudad Obregon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $609 in Ciudad Obregon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ciudad Obregon – a meal for two runs $36 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,129 in Ciudad Obregon – Ciudad Obregon is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ciudad Obregon is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.