Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,128 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Durres, Albania
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Durres
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,128
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,128 in Durres.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Durres $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,732 in Durres.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Durres $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,336 in Durres.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Durres $2,336

Living in Mexico City is roughly 43% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Durres is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$197
$10.48 ALL 849
1.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$898
$37.19 ALL 3,013
30.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$192
$10.37 ALL 840
-0.19%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.5
$2.07 ALL 168
78.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$30.95
$2.12 ALL 172
-21.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.50
$1.07 ALL 86.9
18.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.3
$3.06 ALL 248
4.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.6
$4.44 ALL 359
19.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.03
$2.08 ALL 168
-17.31%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.5
$1.03 ALL 83.4
195.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.05
$2.29 ALL 185
-15.28%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.6
$3.86 ALL 312
-25.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$12.69 ALL 1,028
-13.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$7.78 ALL 631
18.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$281
$15.02 ALL 1,217
0.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.6
$1.20 ALL 97.4
154.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.05
$2.43 ALL 197
-20.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.61
$1.56 ALL 126
30.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$42.99
$1.32 ALL 107
75.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.79
$0.90 ALL 73.1
126.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.43
$0.95 ALL 77.2
89.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.47
$1.22 ALL 99.1
21.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.54
$0.71 ALL 57.4
78.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.5
$4.43 ALL 359
19.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$299
$10.99 ALL 890
46.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.83
$1.49 ALL 121
32.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.0
$2.08 ALL 169
104.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.67
$0.48 ALL 38.50
-35.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$367
$19.58 ALL 1,586
0.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.13
$3.65 ALL 296
-49.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.91
$2.50 ALL 202
-78.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.3
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.05
$2.20 ALL 178
-31.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$404.0K
$16.0K ALL 1.3M
35.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$445.4K
$25.6K ALL 2.1M
-6.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,170
$90.2 ALL 7,310
-30.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$509
$18.02 ALL 1,460
52.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$662
$16.33 ALL 1,323
118.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,095
$41.02 ALL 3,323
43.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$439
$61.3 ALL 4,963
-61.41%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$7.52 ALL 610
-14.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,015
$189 ALL 15.3K
128.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.1K
$4,673 ALL 378.6K
144.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,267
$38.78 ALL 3,142
75.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$987
$41.46 ALL 3,358
28.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,002
$89.1 ALL 7,216
20.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,178
$162 ALL 13.1K
-27.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$451 ALL 36.5K
147.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$321 ALL 26.0K
121.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.1K
$703 ALL 57.0K
268.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.1K
$463 ALL 37.5K
203.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.4K
$1,993 ALL 161.5K
82.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.6K
$1,302 ALL 105.5K
63.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Durres
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$977 ALL 79.1K
-3.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
5.25
116.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Durres
$321 54.8% $389
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Durres
$263 17.8% $57
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Durres
$177 11% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Durres
$149 4.4% $6.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Durres
$125 1.2% $1.5
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Durres
$56 21.8% $16
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Durres
$38 47.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $451 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 3% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $37 in Durres for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $263 per month, with Durres cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇦🇱 Durres
🕒 Local time
23:27 11:27 PM
06:27 6:27 AM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
175,110
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.8 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Durres 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Durres

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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Durres?
Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Mexico City or in Durres?
On paper, salaries run 3% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mexico City compared to Durres?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $451 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Mexico City or in Durres?
Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to Durres?
All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,128 in Durres – Durres is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mexico City or in Durres?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Durres is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mexico City or Durres?
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.

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