Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dartford

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,939 in Dartford, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Dartford, United Kingdom
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Dartford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,939
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,939 in Dartford, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Dartford $2,939

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $4,203 in Dartford, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Dartford $4,203

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $5,467 in Dartford, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Dartford $5,467

Mexico City is about 45% cheaper than Dartford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Dartford sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Dartford by 116%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$199
$23.91 £17.83
-55.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$906
$107 £80.1
-55.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$10.54 £7.86
-1.80%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.2
$4.82 £3.60
-23.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.23
$2.96 £2.21
-43.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.71
$1.75 £1.30
-27.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.8
$7.17 £5.35
-55.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.5
$6.81 £5.08
-22.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.32
$1.58 £1.18
8.86%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.0
$1.99 £1.49
52.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.38
$2.44 £1.82
-20.49%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.1
$4.15 £3.09
-30.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$8.64 £6.44
26.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$173
$10.04 £7.48
-7.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$283
$16.28 £12.14
-7.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.1
$3.05 £2.28
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.38
$1.48 £1.10
31.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.95
$2.71 £2.02
-25.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.38
$3.35 £2.50
-31.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.14
$1.46 £1.09
39.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.73
$1.83 £1.36
-1.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.72
$1.44 £1.07
2.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.75
$0.98 £0.73
29.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.4
$23.28 £17.36
-77.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$302
$10.73 £8.00
50.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.16
$2.28 £1.70
-13.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.7
$2.44 £1.82
74.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.72
$2.80 £2.08
-88.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$370
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.44
$5.43 £4.05
-66.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.00
$3.39 £2.53
-84.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.2
$57.1 £42.56
-90.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.31
$2.00 £1.49
-24.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$407.7K
$38.1K £28.4K
-42.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$449.5K
$40.8K £30.4K
-41.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,180
$285 £212
-77.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$513
$16.52 £12.32
65.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$668
$39.69 £29.59
-10.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,105
$44.44 £33.14
32.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$443
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$19.41 £14.47
-67.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,088
$2,229 £1,662
-80.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.1K
$29.8K £22.2K
-61.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,278
$54.1 £40.30
26.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$996
$24.07 £17.95
120.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,020
$90.1 £67.1
19.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,198
$95.2 £71.0
23.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$2,235 £1,666
-50.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.3K
$1,711 £1,276
-58.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.5K
$2,951 £2,200
-12.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.3K
$2,655 £1,980
-47.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.0K
$5,354 £3,991
-32.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.0K
$4,479 £3,339
-52.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Dartford
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.7K
$4,472 £3,334
-78.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
4.79
136.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dartford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Dartford
$1.7K 141% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Dartford
$302 5.5% $17
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Dartford
$349 75.8% $150
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Dartford
$119 24% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Dartford
$341 171% $215
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Dartford
$83 16.1% $12
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Dartford
$34 * 31.9% $8.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $2,235 in Dartford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dartford are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $107 in Dartford. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $302 in Dartford – so Dartford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇧 Dartford
🕒 Local time
09:16 9:16 AM
15:16 3:16 PM
6 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
51,240
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Dartford 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Dartford

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 Dartford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mexico City cheaper than Dartford?
Yes – Dartford is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $4,408 in Dartford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,235 in Dartford.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Dartford?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $107 in Dartford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Mexico City and in Dartford?
Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Dartford – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is Mexico City or Dartford more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dartford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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