Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Oued

For one person, living is cheaper in El Oued: $535 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
El Oued
🇩🇿 Algeria
$535
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $535 in El Oued.

  • Mexico City $1,548
  • El Oued $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $871 in El Oued.

  • Mexico City $2,436
  • El Oued $871

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,207 in El Oued.

  • Mexico City $3,323
  • El Oued $1,207

Living in Mexico City is roughly 189% more expensive than in El Oued, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, El Oued is 61% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 MX$204
$2.86 DZD 382
285.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.68 MX$900
$19.52 DZD 2,614
149.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.90 MX$201
$4.29 DZD 574
154.08%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$1.26 DZD 169
192.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 MX$30.18
$1.08 DZD 145
50.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 MX$23.07
$0.49 DZD 65.4
155.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.25 MX$60.1
$1.51 DZD 203
115.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.53 MX$102
$2.20 DZD 294
151.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 MX$31.50
$0.86 DZD 115
97.67%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$0.13 DZD 16.82
2223.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.53
$1.15 DZD 154
66.96%
Eggs
$2.73 MX$50.5
$1.21 DZD 162
125.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.77 MX$218
$7.91 DZD 1,059
48.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 MX$176
$4.06 DZD 544
134.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.41 MX$266
$14.61 DZD 1,957
-1.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 MX$55.8
$2.02 DZD 270
49.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.01
$2.74 DZD 366
-31.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 MX$36.70
$1.12 DZD 150
77.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 MX$40.38
$0.92 DZD 124
138.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.43
$0.63 DZD 83.8
204.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.87 MX$34.49
$0.49 DZD 65.6
281.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.44 MX$26.62
$0.77 DZD 103
87.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.39
$0.27 DZD 36.41
370.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.22 MX$96.4
$2.63 DZD 352
98.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.17 MX$299
$7.53 DZD 1,008
114.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.90 MX$35.03
$1.41 DZD 188
34.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.22 MX$78.0
$2.19 DZD 293
92.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.30
$0.21 DZD 28.06
61.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.65 MX$363
$5.86 DZD 784
235.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.90
$0.58 DZD 77.8
244.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 MX$9.67
$0.41 DZD 54.5
26.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.34 MX$98.7
$5.35 DZD 716
-0.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.13
$0.32 DZD 43.26
375.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K MX$408.0K
$31.6K DZD 4.2M
-30.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$452.9K
$34.7K DZD 4.6M
-29.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 MX$1,129
$35.63 DZD 4,770
71.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.58 MX$528
$9.08 DZD 1,215
214.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.47 MX$637
$11.75 DZD 1,573
193.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,042
$22.38 DZD 2,996
151.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.88 MX$460
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.66 MX$123
$3.88 DZD 519
71.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$427 MX$7,891
$337 DZD 45.1K
26.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K MX$215.0K
$4,411 DZD 590.5K
163.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 MX$1,253
$31.97 DZD 4,281
112.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.0 MX$960
$35.12 DZD 4,702
47.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 MX$1,959
$68.1 DZD 9,118
55.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 MX$2,080
$80.9 DZD 10.8K
39.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,025 MX$18.9K
$147 DZD 19.7K
596.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$654 MX$12.1K
$94.3 DZD 12.6K
594.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,308 MX$42.7K
$270 DZD 36.1K
756.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,242 MX$22.9K
$196 DZD 26.3K
532.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,613 MX$66.8K
$963 DZD 129.0K
275.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,936 MX$35.8K
$1,032 DZD 138.1K
87.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
El Oued
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$964 MX$17.8K
$258 DZD 34.6K
273.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
5.3
113.21%

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 Oued: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$654
El Oued
$94 85.6% $560
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$318
El Oued
$178 43.9% $140
Eating Out
Mexico City
$204
El Oued
$69 66.1% $135
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$152
El Oued
$97 36.1% $55
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$124
El Oued
$56 54.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
El Oued
$30 56.8% $40
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
El Oued
$9.3 63.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $147 in El Oued. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 273% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $20.00 in El Oued for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $178 per month, with El Oued cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇩🇿 El Oued
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
11:02 11:02 AM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
134,699
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City El Oued 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • El Oued

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 Oued: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in El Oued?
Mexico City and El Oued differ by about 189% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $535 including rent). El Oued is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Mexico City or El Oued?
Average pay runs 273% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in El Oued?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $147 in El Oued. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and El Oued?
Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $337 in El Oued. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $535 in El Oued versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Oued but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes El Oued the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and El Oued?
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.
Is Mexico City or El Oued safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and El Oued are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or El Oued?
Expats usually find El Oued gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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