Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Ejido

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,634 in El Ejido, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in El Ejido outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

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

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
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El Ejido Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in El Ejido

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Mexico City $1,548
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Mexico City $2,436
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Mexico City $3,323
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 5% less than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$16.73 €14.88

-34.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$67.6 €60.2

-28.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.10 €9.87

-1.80%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.17 €1.93

69.59%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.31 €2.06

-29.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.34 €1.19

-6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.29 €2.92

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.27 €2.91

69.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.13 €1.01

50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.57 €1.39

92.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.63 €1.45

17.79%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.40 €3.02

-19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$16.79 €14.93

-29.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.56 €8.51

-0.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.46 €15.53

-17.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.58 €2.30

17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.95 €1.73

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.95 €1.74

2.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.69 €2.39

-18.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.93 €1.71

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.92 €1.71

-2.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.24 €1.11

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.71 €0.63

78.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.66 €5.92

-21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.77 €5.13

180.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.21 €1.08

57.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.12 €1.88

99.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.71 €1.52

-80.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$36.17 €32.17

-45.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.06 €2.73

-34.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.31 €1.17

-60.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$16.86 €15.00

-68.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.86 €1.65

-18.28%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$31.3K €27.9K

-29.50%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.3K €27.8K

-21.71%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$142 €126

-57.00%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$18.78 €16.71

52.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$29.88 €26.58

15.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$41.99 €37.35

34.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$16.57 €14.74

50.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$9.00 €8.01

-26.00%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$689 €613

-38.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$9,454 €8,410

23.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$85.4 €76.0

-20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$35.45 €31.53

46.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$93.2 €82.9

13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$106 €94.0

6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$902 €802

13.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$668 €594

-2.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,326 €1,179

74.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$994 €884

24.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,015 €2,682

19.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,239 €1,992

-13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.99

277.93%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 2.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 9.3% $30

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 13.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 5.5% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 53.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 13.9% $9.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 105% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $68.0 in El Ejido. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $288, with El Ejido cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

14:53 2:53 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

89,975

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City El Ejido 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 El Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $2,451 in El Ejido to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $68.0 in El Ejido. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $1,634 in El Ejido – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,634 in El Ejido, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in El Ejido. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Mexico City and El Ejido are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in El Ejido. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.