Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Cuajimalpa
Learn more

Cuajimalpa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Cuajimalpa

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

Mexico City $1,548
Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

Mexico City $2,436
Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

Mexico City $3,323
Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Mexico City is roughly 36% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Cuajimalpa is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$10.81 MX$200

1.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$43.13 MX$797

12.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.35 MX$154

30.54%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.60 MX$66.6

2.22%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.40 MX$25.87

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.06 MX$19.50

17.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.52 MX$46.60

28.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.96 MX$73.2

39.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.58 MX$29.16

7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.64 MX$48.81

14.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.70 MX$31.34

12.94%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.46 MX$45.39

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.08 MX$149

45.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.10 MX$150

17.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.30 MX$209

27.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.79 MX$51.5

8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.51 MX$27.83

25.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.86 MX$34.44

6.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.81 MX$33.42

20.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.00 MX$36.89

-4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.91 MX$35.21

-2.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.43 MX$26.42

0.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.12 MX$20.79

13.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.44 MX$82.1

17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$10.50 MX$194

54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.79 MX$33.13

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.18 MX$58.8

32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.69 MX$12.73

-50.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.62 MX$48.32

-23.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.01 MX$37.15

-74.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.91 MX$202

-51.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.44 MX$26.64

5.56%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$20.9K MX$386.5K

5.56%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$24.3K MX$448.9K

0.89%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$57.5 MX$1,063

6.19%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$22.78 MX$421

25.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$29.83 MX$551

15.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$34.34 MX$635

64.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$20.21 MX$373

23.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.31 MX$98.1

25.42%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$223 MX$4,122

91.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$4,649 MX$85.9K

150.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$54.5 MX$1,008

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$41.13 MX$760

26.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$101 MX$1,863

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$88.6 MX$1,636

27.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$600 MX$11.1K

70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$395 MX$7,290

65.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,021 MX$18.9K

126.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$764 MX$14.1K

62.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,905 MX$35.2K

89.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,154 MX$21.3K

67.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Cuajimalpa

$395 34.6% 39.7% $260

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Cuajimalpa

$262 23% 17.6% $56

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Cuajimalpa

$185 16.2% 9.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Cuajimalpa

$128 11.2% 15.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Cuajimalpa

$110 9.7% 11.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Cuajimalpa

$45 3.9% 35.5% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Cuajimalpa

$15 * 1.4% 39.8% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $262 per month, with Cuajimalpa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

217,686

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mexico City Cuajimalpa 19 km

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Mexico City
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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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Cuajimalpa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.