Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $941 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Colima
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Colima Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $941 in Colima.

Mexico City $1,608
Colima $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,533 in Colima.

Mexico City $2,549
Colima $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,125 in Colima.

Mexico City $3,490
Colima $2,125

Living in Mexico City is roughly 71% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Colima is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$7.36 MX$138

44.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$32.08 MX$602

50.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.15 MX$134

44.76%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.09 MX$39.23

76.56%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.97 MX$18.25

72.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.83 MX$15.52

53.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.20 MX$41.26

45.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.48 MX$46.62

114.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.51 MX$28.33

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.54 MX$47.64

19.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.14 MX$21.37

70.18%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.77 MX$52.0

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.19 MX$154

33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.31 MX$156

11.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.69 MX$182

56.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.80 MX$52.6

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.35 MX$25.42

43.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.69 MX$31.65

20.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.12 MX$39.79

8.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.29 MX$43.04

-10.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.27 MX$42.59

-20.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.47 MX$27.52

0.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.11 MX$20.89

14.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.73 MX$70.1

42.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$6.36 MX$119

153.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.49 MX$27.96

32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.73 MX$32.53

145.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.68 MX$12.70

-54.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$19.57 MX$367

0.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.49 MX$46.74

-26.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$2.77 MX$52.0

-80.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$9.16 MX$172

-42.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.38 MX$25.95

9.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$22.1K MX$415.8K

-1.78%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$22.0K MX$412.4K

9.20%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$65.5 MX$1,229

-3.79%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$19.85 MX$373

37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$28.60 MX$537

24.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$34.63 MX$650

70.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$21.43 MX$402

10.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.68 MX$88.0

36.75%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$141 MX$2,652

205.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,527 MX$47.4K

352.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$44.57 MX$837

53.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$24.99 MX$469

112.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$73.3 MX$1,376

47.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$98.0 MX$1,840

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$257 MX$4,825

333.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$263 MX$4,931

170.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$369 MX$6,926

601.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$574 MX$10.8K

144.84%

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

$280 MX$5,261

237.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.3

0.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Colima

$263 27.9% 63% $448

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Colima

$245 26% 23.3% $75

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Colima

$129 13.7% 35.3% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Colima

$108 11.5% 30.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Colima

$114 12.1% 9.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Colima

$44 4.7% 38.7% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Colima

$39 4.1% 51.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $257 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $32 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $245 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

146,965

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $941 in Colima, so Colima is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $257 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $141 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colima – a meal for two runs $32 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $941 in Colima versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Colima 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.

It comes down to priorities – Colima wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.