Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cozumel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cozumel: $1,163 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Cozumel
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Cozumel Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cozumel

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,163

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,163 in Cozumel.

Mexico City $1,608
Cozumel $1,163

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,813 in Cozumel.

Mexico City $2,549
Cozumel $1,813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,464 in Cozumel.

Mexico City $3,490
Cozumel $2,464

Living in Mexico City is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cozumel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Cozumel is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$8.67 MX$161

22.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$43.79 MX$816

10.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.00 MX$149

29.37%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.76 MX$51.3

33.70%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.06 MX$19.70

57.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.94 MX$17.55

35.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.58 MX$29.38

101.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.07 MX$57.1

72.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.46 MX$27.27

17.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.64 MX$30.59

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.76 MX$32.71

10.23%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.85 MX$34.44

56.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.02 MX$187

9.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.79 MX$145

18.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.30 MX$229

23.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.36 MX$43.94

29.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.37 MX$25.59

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.14 MX$39.92

-5.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.53 MX$28.55

50.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.20 MX$40.91

-7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.81 MX$33.72

-0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.45 MX$27.10

2.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.10 MX$20.44

15.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$4.42 MX$82.4

19.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$10.59 MX$197

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.49 MX$27.79

32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.50 MX$46.57

70.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.59 MX$10.94

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$29.76 MX$554

-33.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.61 MX$48.62

-29.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.89 MX$53.9

-81.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.76 MX$163

-39.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.32 MX$24.61

14.39%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$19.5K MX$362.8K

11.70%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$23.1K MX$430.4K

3.83%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$57.8 MX$1,077

8.98%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$20.69 MX$386

32.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$21.21 MX$395

68.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$37.82 MX$705

55.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$19.69 MX$367

20.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.97 MX$111

7.20%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$259 MX$4,823

66.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$3,514 MX$65.5K

225.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$55.1 MX$1,026

23.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$52.5 MX$977

1.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$99.4 MX$1,852

8.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$83.6 MX$1,558

40.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$599 MX$11.2K

85.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$435 MX$8,100

63.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,573 MX$29.3K

64.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$741 MX$13.8K

89.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,899 MX$35.4K

91.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,140 MX$21.2K

87.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$651 MX$12.1K

45.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.64

-2.49%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cozumel: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cozumel

$435 37.4% 38.8% $276

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cozumel

$250 21.5% 21.6% $69

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cozumel

$148 12.8% 25.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cozumel

$131 11.2% 16.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cozumel

$100 8.6% 20.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cozumel

$50 4.3% 30.7% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cozumel

$49 4.2% 93.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $599 in Cozumel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $44 in Cozumel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $250 per month, with Cozumel cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Cozumel

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

77,236

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cozumel 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cozumel

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 Cozumel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,163 in Cozumel, so Cozumel is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $599 in Cozumel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cozumel – a meal for two runs $44 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Cozumel gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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