Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,458 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,458 in El Medano, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
El Medano $1,458

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,384 in El Medano, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
El Medano $2,384

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,310 in El Medano, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
El Medano $3,310

Mexico City costs about 10% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and El Medano sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$20.21 €18.16

-47.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$61.4 €55.2

-21.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.99 €9.87

-5.82%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.08 €1.87

77.40%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.96 €1.76

-14.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.29 €1.16

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.86 €2.57

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.33 €2.99

59.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.37 €1.23

25.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.38 €2.13

27.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.61 €1.45

20.50%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.06 €3.65

-28.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$14.50 €13.02

-24.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$8.83 €7.93

4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$17.89 €16.07

-15.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.50 €2.25

22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.31 €2.08

-16.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.22 €1.99

-8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.59 €2.33

-10.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.13 €1.92

-4.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.94 €1.75

-7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.70 €1.52

-12.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.93 €0.84

36.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$5.57 €5.00

-4.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.40 €6.65

117.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.71 €1.53

15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.34 €1.20

217.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$1.58 €1.42

-80.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$25.30 €22.73

-22.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$4.30 €3.87

-57.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.69 €1.52

-68.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$16.95 €15.22

-68.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.25 €1.13

20.80%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$26.8K €24.0K

-18.69%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$32.2K €28.9K

-25.55%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$98.8 €88.8

-36.27%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$22.66 €20.36

20.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$34.83 €31.29

2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$45.33 €40.72

30.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$15.55 €13.97

52.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$9.74 €8.75

-34.29%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$406 €365

6.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,968 €4,463

129.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$93.2 €83.7

-26.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$41.35 €37.15

28.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$90.9 €81.7

18.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$114 €102

2.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$899 €807

23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$482 €433

47.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,360 €1,222

90.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,004 €902

40.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$3,333 €2,994

8.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,213 €1,988

-3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.56

218.82%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

El Medano

$482 33.1% 32.1% $228

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

El Medano

$304 20.9% 4.9% $16

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

El Medano

$254 17.4% 27.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

El Medano

$153 10.5% 2% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

El Medano

$156 10.7% 24% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

El Medano

$65 4.4% 9.7% $6.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

El Medano

$44 3% 74.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $899 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $61 in El Medano. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $304 in El Medano – so El Medano wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

01:05 1:05 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City El Medano 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
El Medano

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 Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,458 in El Medano – El Medano comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,187 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Medano, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $899 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $406 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,458 in El Medano, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward El Medano – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.