Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cuenca, Spain

Name: Cuenca
Address: Cuenca, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,670 in Cuenca, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cuenca outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cuenca
Learn more

Cuenca Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cuenca

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,670 in Cuenca, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Cuenca $1,670

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,437 in Cuenca, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Cuenca $2,437

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,205 in Cuenca, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Cuenca $3,205

Mexico City is about 4% cheaper than Cuenca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Cuenca sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Cuenca by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$17.14 €15.36

-38.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$45.51 €40.78

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.98 €8.05

15.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.03 €1.82

81.77%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.36 €2.12

-29.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.49 €1.34

-14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.21 €1.98

44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.30 €2.96

60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.98 €0.88

75.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.00 €1.79

52.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.55 €1.39

25.16%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.50 €2.24

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$16.27 €14.58

-32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.38 €8.40

-1.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$20.78 €18.62

-27.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.71 €2.43

12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.42 €2.17

-19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.58 €2.31

-21.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.00 €2.69

-23.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.00 €1.79

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.19 €1.96

-17.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.78 €1.60

-16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.65 €0.58

95.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.30 €5.64

-15.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$4.41 €3.95

265.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.00 €0.90

98.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.19 €1.97

94.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.65 €1.48

-81.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$31.98 €28.66

-38.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.29 €2.05

-19.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.07 €0.96

-50.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$29.56 €26.49

-82.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.81 €1.62

-16.57%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$35.6K €31.9K

-38.88%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$32.0K €28.7K

-25.14%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$164 €147

-61.66%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$11.56 €10.36

136.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$21.65 €19.40

64.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$39.51 €35.40

49.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$15.95 €14.30

48.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.85 €7.93

-27.68%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$338 €303

27.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$8,035 €7,200

42.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$91.9 €82.3

-25.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$39.11 €35.05

35.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$98.4 €88.1

9.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$114 €102

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$879 €788

26.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$692 €620

2.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,354 €1,213

91.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,020 €914

37.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,298 €2,955

10.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,188 €1,960

-2.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,405 €1,259

-32.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.46

228.03%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cuenca: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cuenca

$692 41.4% 2.6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cuenca

$301 18% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cuenca

$222 13.3% 11.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cuenca

$155 9.3% 0.9% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cuenca

$198 11.8% 56.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cuenca

$57 3.4% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cuenca

$46 2.8% 81.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $879 in Cuenca. 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 49% higher in Cuenca. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $46 in Cuenca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $301 – making Cuenca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Cuenca

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

06:17 6:17 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

53,512

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Cuenca 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cuenca

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 Cuenca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,670 in Cuenca – Mexico City comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,505 in Cuenca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cuenca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $879 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $338 in Cuenca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Cuenca – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,670 in Cuenca, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,670 in Cuenca. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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