Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Elbasan

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Elbasan

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $887 in Elbasan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Elbasan $887

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,399 in Elbasan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Elbasan $1,399

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,912 in Elbasan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Elbasan $1,912

Mexico City costs about 89% more than Elbasan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Elbasan is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$9.95 ALL 802

6.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$36.83 ALL 2,967

41.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$6.76 ALL 544

58.73%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$1.72 ALL 138

120.93%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$1.40 ALL 113

15.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.65 ALL 52.7

86.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$2.14 ALL 172

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.74 ALL 220

98.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.90 ALL 153

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$0.94 ALL 75.4

215.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$1.57 ALL 127

22.93%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$2.60 ALL 210

6.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$10.33 ALL 832

12.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$5.91 ALL 476

60.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$11.30 ALL 910

36.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.20 ALL 96.8

158.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$2.25 ALL 182

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$1.39 ALL 112

42.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.14 ALL 91.6

105.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.00 ALL 80.2

102.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.04 ALL 83.8

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.83 ALL 66.6

85.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.66 ALL 53.5

98.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$4.34 ALL 350

23.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$6.10 ALL 492

165.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.02 ALL 82.3

92.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.80 ALL 145

141.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.47 ALL 38.21

-36.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$19.64 ALL 1,582

-0.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$3.60 ALL 290

-46.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$1.45 ALL 117

-67.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$14.57 ALL 1,174

-62.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$2.14 ALL 172

-30.84%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

-26.83%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

-18.85%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$61.7 ALL 4,970

0.49%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$15.34 ALL 1,236

85.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$12.08 ALL 973

182.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$58.0 ALL 4,671

0.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$17.03 ALL 1,372

43.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.41 ALL 355

49.43%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$142 ALL 11.4K

206.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

644.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$72.7 ALL 5,856

-5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$44.03 ALL 3,547

24.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$93.4 ALL 7,522

18.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$96.4 ALL 7,767

20.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$297 ALL 23.9K

297.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$208 ALL 16.8K

269.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$435 ALL 35.1K

490.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$317 ALL 25.5K

348.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

160.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$870 ALL 70.1K

137.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$626 ALL 50.4K

60.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.1

86.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Elbasan

$208 23.5% 73% $562

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Elbasan

$208 23.4% 35.9% $116

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Elbasan

$145 16.3% 27.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Elbasan

$138 15.6% 12.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Elbasan

$89 10.1% 28.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Elbasan

$67 7.5% 6.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Elbasan

$32 3.7% 29.6% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $297 in Elbasan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $37 in Elbasan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $208 – making Elbasan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

78,703

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.44 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Elbasan 10,830 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Elbasan

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 Elbasan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,331 in Elbasan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elbasan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $37 in Elbasan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Elbasan, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Elbasan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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