Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cuautla

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuautla: $1,245 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Cuautla
Learn more

Cuautla Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cuautla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,245 in Cuautla.

Mexico City $1,608
Cuautla $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,023 in Cuautla.

Mexico City $2,549
Cuautla $2,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,801 in Cuautla.

Mexico City $3,490
Cuautla $2,801

Living in Mexico City is roughly 29% more expensive than in Cuautla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Cuautla is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.92 MX$205

-2.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$61.4 MX$1,150

-21.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.67 MX$181

7.03%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.51 MX$65.7

5.13%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.63 MX$30.49

2.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$1.08 MX$20.16

17.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.20 MX$60.0

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$5.50 MX$103

-3.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.91 MX$35.81

-9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$2.70 MX$50.6

12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.98 MX$37.05

-2.02%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.71 MX$50.7

6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.53 MX$160

28.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$8.71 MX$163

6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$13.62 MX$255

11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.43 MX$64.3

-11.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.64 MX$30.67

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.11 MX$39.62

-3.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.92 MX$36.02

20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.79 MX$33.56

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.79 MX$33.49

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.50 MX$28.02

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.16 MX$21.82

9.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$4.46 MX$83.5

18.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$17.34 MX$325

-7.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.10 MX$39.37

-5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.78 MX$70.9

12.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$0.63 MX$11.84

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$29.38 MX$550

-32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.24 MX$60.8

-43.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$2.50 MX$46.93

-78.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$10.67 MX$200

-50.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.25 MX$23.40

20.80%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$23.8K MX$446.3K

-8.66%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$23.5K MX$439.6K

2.25%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$57.5 MX$1,077

9.57%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$26.76 MX$501

2.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$24.76 MX$464

44.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$33.01 MX$619

78.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$19.49 MX$365

21.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.35 MX$138

-12.93%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$259 MX$4,854

66.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$4,899 MX$91.8K

133.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$52.7 MX$988

29.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$43.41 MX$813

22.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$97.2 MX$1,821

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$94.9 MX$1,778

23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$649 MX$12.2K

71.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$414 MX$7,750

71.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$952 MX$17.8K

171.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$783 MX$14.7K

79.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,039 MX$38.2K

78.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$976 MX$18.3K

118.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.99

-5.34%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuautla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cuautla

$414 33.2% 41.8% $297

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cuautla

$302 24.2% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cuautla

$196 15.8% 1.2% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cuautla

$130 10.4% 16.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cuautla

$109 8.8% 13.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cuautla

$48 3.8% 33.5% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cuautla

$48 3.8% 87.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $649 in Cuautla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $61 in Cuautla. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $302, with Cuautla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Cuautla

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

157,336

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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 Cuautla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuautla is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,868 in Cuautla 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $649 in Cuautla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,245 in Cuautla – Cuautla is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 33% less than in Cuautla. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,245 in Cuautla versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuautla but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cuautla 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.