Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,423 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Durham, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,423 in Durham, NC.

Mexico City $1,608
Durham, NC $2,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,700 in Durham, NC.

Mexico City $2,549
Durham, NC $3,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,978 in Durham, NC.

Mexico City $3,490
Durham, NC $4,978

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 34% less than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Durham, NC 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$15.31 $15.31

-30.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$106 $106

-54.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.96 $9.96

3.92%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$4.79 $4.79

-22.96%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$3.02 $3.02

-44.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$2.10 $2.10

-39.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$6.18 $6.18

-48.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$7.12 $7.12

-25.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.13 $1.13

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$4.70 $4.70

-35.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$4.52 $4.52

-57.08%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.45 $3.45

-16.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$19.01 $19.01

-42.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$16.98 $16.98

-45.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$17.05 $17.05

-11.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$5.67 $5.67

-46.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.83 $1.83

6.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.90 $3.90

-47.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$4.58 $4.58

-49.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.27 $2.27

-10.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$3.90 $3.90

-53.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$2.75 $2.75

-46.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.96 $1.96

-35.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$8.57 $8.57

-38.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$15.23 $15.23

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.52 $1.52

30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$4.01 $4.01

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.96 $1.96

-6.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.60 $0.60

-11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.01 $1.01

49.50%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$30.9K $30.9K

-29.61%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$26.0K $26.0K

-7.90%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$226 $226

-72.15%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$56.8 $56.8

-51.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$71.5 $71.5

-50.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$51.5 $51.5

14.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.36 $12.36

-48.22%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$1,567 $1,567

-72.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$45.29 $45.29

50.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$35.33 $35.33

50.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$90.7 $90.7

18.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$134 $134

-12.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,502 $1,502

-25.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,118 $1,118

-36.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,272 $2,272

13.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,970 $1,970

-28.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,463 $3,463

4.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,420 $2,420

-11.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$4,786 $4,786

-80.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.81

66.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Durham, NC

$1.1K 46.2% 57.4% $407

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Durham, NC

$456 18.8% 42.8% $137

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Durham, NC

$276 11.4% 38.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Durham, NC

$137 5.7% 12% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Durham, NC

$355 14.6% 181% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Durham, NC

$76 3.2% 6.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Durham, NC

$5 * 0.2% 80.5% $20

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $106 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $456 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

283,506

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Durham, NC 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Durham, NC

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 Durham, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 80% 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 $1,502 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $2,423 in Durham, NC – Mexico City is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.