Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Paso, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,120 in El Paso, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
102

Cost of Living Index in El Paso, TX
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El Paso, TX Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

El Paso, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in El Paso, TX

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,120 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
El Paso, TX $2,120

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,183 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
El Paso, TX $3,183

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,246 in El Paso, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
El Paso, TX $4,246

Mexico City is about 24% cheaper than El Paso, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and El Paso, TX sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, El Paso, TX by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$18.60 $18.60

-42.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$78.2 $78.2

-38.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$12.23 $12.23

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$6.11 $6.11

-39.61%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.38 $2.38

-29.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.56 $1.56

-18.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$5.82 $5.82

-45.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.84 $6.84

-22.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.87 $0.87

97.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.01 $3.01

1.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.47 $2.47

-21.46%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.60 $3.60

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.11 $12.11

-9.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$11.74 $11.74

-21.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.03 $13.03

16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.51 $3.51

-13.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.46 $1.46

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.61 $2.61

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.56 $3.56

-35.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.16 $2.16

-5.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.83 $2.83

-36.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.76 $1.76

-15.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.57 $1.57

-19.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$9.86 $9.86

-46.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.78 $9.78

64.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.01 $2.01

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$4.92 $4.92

-13.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.52 $1.52

-79.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$48.34 $48.34

-59.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.67 $1.67

10.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.37 $1.37

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$27.43 $27.43

-80.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.91 $0.91

65.93%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-21.10%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

-6.77%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$162 $162

-61.04%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$72.6 $72.6

-62.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$67.4 $67.4

-47.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$17.51 $17.51

236.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$8.44 $8.44

180.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.15 $12.15

-47.33%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$689 $689

-37.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$6,862 $6,862

66.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$46.41 $46.41

46.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$35.88 $35.88

48.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$103 $103

4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$178 $178

-34.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,050 $1,050

6.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$904 $904

-21.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,569 $1,569

64.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,497 $1,497

-6.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,983 $1,983

83.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,681 $1,681

26.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,323 $3,323

-71.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.51

74.35%

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 Paso, TX: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

El Paso, TX

$904 42.6% 27.2% $193

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

El Paso, TX

$329 15.5% 3% $9.7

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

El Paso, TX

$317 15% 59.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

El Paso, TX

$164 7.7% 5.1% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

El Paso, TX

$302 14.2% 139% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

El Paso, TX

$42 2% 41.7% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

El Paso, TX

$63 3% 147% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,050 in El Paso, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in El Paso, TX are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $78 in El Paso, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $329 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 El Paso, TX

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

678,815

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 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 El Paso, TX 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
El Paso, TX

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 Paso, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Paso, TX costs about 32% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,180 in El Paso, TX. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,050 in El Paso, TX. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,120 in El Paso, TX. That makes Mexico City about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,120 in El Paso, TX, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,120 in El Paso, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, El Paso, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.