Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and El Paso

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,648 in El Paso, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in El Paso outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in El Paso
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El Paso Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

El Paso

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,648 in El Paso.

Mexico City $1,548
El Paso $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,456 in El Paso.

Mexico City $2,436
El Paso $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,265 in El Paso.

Mexico City $3,323
El Paso $3,265

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 6% less than in El Paso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, El Paso 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$16.45 €14.63

-33.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$54.9 €48.85

-11.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.55 €8.49

14.14%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.34 €2.08

57.26%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.64 €2.35

-38.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.94 €1.73

-35.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.87 €2.55

13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.46 €3.96

23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.16 €1.03

46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.52 €1.35

98.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.57 €1.40

22.29%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.25 €2.89

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.30 €11.83

-11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.13 €6.34

33.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.80 €13.16

-2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.47 €2.20

22.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.12 €1.88

-10.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.19 €1.95

-9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.50 €2.22

-12.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.86 €1.65

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.96 €1.74

-4.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.69 €0.61

84.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$7.18 €6.38

-27.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$6.19 €5.51

161.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.22 €1.08

55.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.98 €1.76

113.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.65 €1.47

-79.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$32.06 €28.52

-38.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.90 €3.47

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.55 €1.38

-66.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$24.38 €21.69

-78.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.76 €1.56

-13.64%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$39.3K €34.9K

-43.77%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$34.7K €30.8K

-29.33%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$161 €144

-62.15%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$17.82 €15.85

60.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$25.99 €23.12

32.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$39.66 €35.28

42.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$17.18 €15.28

44.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$9.25 €8.23

-28.00%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$441 €392

-3.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$8,218 €7,310

41.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$87.9 €78.2

-22.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$37.81 €33.63

37.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$97.1 €86.3

9.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$128 €114

-12.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$888 €790

15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$689 €613

-5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,246 €1,109

85.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,098 €977

13.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,160 €2,811

14.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,333 €2,075

-17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.3

242.42%

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 Paso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

El Paso

$689 41.8% 5.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

El Paso

$258 15.6% 19% $60

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

El Paso

$230 14% 12.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

El Paso

$158 9.6% 3.7% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

El Paso

$205 12.5% 65.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

El Paso

$58 3.5% 16.5% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

El Paso

$50 3.1% 96.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $888 in El Paso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $55.0 in El Paso. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $258, with El Paso cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 El Paso

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

700

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City El Paso 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
El Paso

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and El Paso differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,648 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $2,472 in El Paso 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 $888 in El Paso. 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 $55.0 in El Paso. 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 $1,648 in El Paso – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,648 in El Paso, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in El Paso. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and El Paso 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 Paso. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.