Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Dorchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,215 in Dorchester, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Dorchester
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Dorchester Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Dorchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,215 in Dorchester.

Mexico City $1,608
Dorchester $2,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,259 in Dorchester.

Mexico City $2,549
Dorchester $3,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,303 in Dorchester.

Mexico City $3,490
Dorchester $4,303

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 27% less than in Dorchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Dorchester 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$15.67 £11.76

-32.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$907

$80.4 £60.3

-39.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.35 £4.02

93.46%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$4.71 £3.53

-21.66%

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

$1.67 MX$31.25

$2.67 £2.01

-37.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.73

$1.76 £1.32

-27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$7.79 £5.84

-59.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$6.84 £5.14

-22.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.34

$1.58 £1.19

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.35 £1.02

125.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$2.02 £1.52

-3.96%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$4.29 £3.22

-32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.22 £6.17

33.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$8.83 £6.63

4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.70 £8.78

29.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.86 £2.14

6.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.40

$1.82 £1.36

6.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.98

$2.68 £2.01

-24.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.40

$3.97 £2.98

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.16

$1.95 £1.46

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.75

$1.52 £1.14

18.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.74

$0.76 £0.57

94.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.77

$2.03 £1.53

-37.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$23.57 £17.69

-77.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.80 £8.11

49.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.19

$2.76 £2.07

-28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.53 £2.65

20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$3.58 £2.69

-91.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$97.1 £72.9

-79.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.45

$3.56 £2.67

-48.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.68 £1.26

-68.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.3

$26.52 £19.91

-80.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.32

$2.15 £1.61

-29.77%

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

$21.8K MX$407.9K

$39.3K £29.5K

-44.64%

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

$24.0K MX$449.7K

$40.2K £30.2K

-40.31%

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

$63.0 MX$1,181

$222 £166

-71.60%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$17.29 £12.98

58.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$669

$39.24 £29.45

-9.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$45.85 £34.42

28.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$14.00 £10.51

-54.29%

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

$432 MX$8,092

$2,218 £1,665

-80.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.2K

$25.2K £18.9K

-54.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,279

$61.0 £45.79

11.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$47.68 £35.79

11.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,021

$108 £81.2

-0.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,199

$97.7 £73.3

20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,242 £932

-10.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,037 £778

-31.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$2,105 £1,580

22.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,681 £1,262

-16.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.1K

$5,072 £3,807

-28.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$3,947 £2,962

-45.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,813 £1,361

-47.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.87

133.06%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dorchester: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Dorchester

$1K 46.8% 45.9% $326

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Dorchester

$293 13.2% 8.3% $26

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Dorchester

$268 12.1% 35.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Dorchester

$142 6.4% 9.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Dorchester

$278 12.6% 121% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Dorchester

$74 3.3% 2.9% $2.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Dorchester

$123 5.6% 385% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,242 in Dorchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dorchester pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $80 in Dorchester. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $293, with Dorchester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Dorchester

🕒 Local time

18:30 6:30 PM

00:30 12:30 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

19,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Dorchester 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Dorchester

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 Dorchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Dorchester. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,242 in Dorchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dorchester pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $80 in Dorchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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 – Mexico City wins on affordability, Dorchester on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.