Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Clifton, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,771 in Clifton, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
135

Cost of Living Index in Clifton, NJ
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Clifton, NJ Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Clifton, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Clifton, NJ

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,771 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Clifton, NJ $2,771

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $4,035 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Clifton, NJ $4,035

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $5,299 in Clifton, NJ, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Clifton, NJ $5,299

Mexico City is about 44% cheaper than Clifton, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Clifton, NJ sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Clifton, NJ by 105%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$22.14 $22.14

-50.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$78.7 $78.7

-38.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$12.83 $12.83

-15.04%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$6.41 $6.41

-42.59%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.44 $2.44

-33.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.79 $1.79

-30.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.91 $7.91

-58.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$7.05 $7.05

-21.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.33 $1.33

27.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.61 $4.61

-34.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$6.09 $6.09

-68.47%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$5.80 $5.80

-52.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.90 $13.90

-15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$10.09 $10.09

-5.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.68 $18.68

-22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$5.92 $5.92

-48.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.34 $2.34

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$6.21 $6.21

-67.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$5.26 $5.26

-58.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.52 $3.52

-45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$4.34 $4.34

-56.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$3.13 $3.13

-53.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.63 $2.63

-51.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$15.06 $15.06

-65.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.21 $15.21

6.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.79 $1.79

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.63 $3.63

16.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$4.30 $4.30

-92.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.95 $2.95

-32.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.19 $2.19

-76.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$42.36 $42.36

-87.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.13 $1.13

34.51%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$33.1K $33.1K

-33.27%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

-4.14%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$219 $219

-72.14%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$50.7 $50.7

-43.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$66.5 $66.5

-48.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$29.05 $29.05

94.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$20.63 $20.63

-67.72%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,967 $1,967

-78.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$16.3K $16.3K

-28.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$31.73 $31.73

113.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$20.32 $20.32

155.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$109 $109

-3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$138 $138

-18.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,348 $1,348

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,376 $1,376

-52.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,860 $2,860

-19.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,215 $2,215

-43.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$8,457 $8,457

-57.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$4,324 $4,324

-77.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.8

66.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Clifton, NJ: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Clifton, NJ

$1.4K 49.7% 110% $722

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Clifton, NJ

$460 16.6% 44.6% $142

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Clifton, NJ

$363 13.1% 78.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Clifton, NJ

$135 4.9% 11.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Clifton, NJ

$336 12.1% 171% $212

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Clifton, NJ

$70 2.5% 0.9% $0.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Clifton, NJ

$31 * 1.1% 21.4% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,348 in Clifton, NJ. 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 349% higher in Clifton, NJ, 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $79.0 in Clifton, NJ. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $460 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Clifton, NJ

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

79,606

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Clifton, NJ 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Clifton, NJ

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 Clifton, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $2,771 in Clifton, NJ – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $4,157 in Clifton, NJ. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $2,771 in Clifton, NJ. That's a gap of about 79%.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $1,967 in Clifton, NJ. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Clifton, NJ at $2,771. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Clifton, NJ it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,771 in Clifton, NJ. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Clifton, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.