Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Elmina

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
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Elmina Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $668 in Elmina, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Elmina $668

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $1,125 in Elmina, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Elmina $1,125

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $1,582 in Elmina, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Elmina $1,582

Mexico City costs about 135% more than Elmina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Elmina is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$7.82 GHS 91.0

37.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$50.8 GHS 591

-1.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.26 GHS 119

8.19%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.46 GHS 51.9

-17.49%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.53 GHS 17.85

7.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.44 GHS 5.12

195.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.81 GHS 21.03

83.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$2.17 GHS 25.19

155.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$3.67 GHS 42.68

-51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.67 GHS 19.37

82.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.06 GHS 35.63

-34.31%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.68 GHS 31.21

3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$12.03 GHS 140

-1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$7.08 GHS 82.3

31.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$9.62 GHS 112

56.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.61 GHS 41.93

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.40 GHS 16.32

39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.77 GHS 20.58

14.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$3.56 GHS 41.44

-37.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.69 GHS 31.29

-24.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.65 GHS 30.82

-31.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.72 GHS 8.34

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.60 GHS 7.02

113.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.51 GHS 29.19

109.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$7.06 GHS 82.1

128.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.21 GHS 14.10

61.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.33 GHS 27.14

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.74 GHS 20.29

14.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.26 GHS 14.65

-57.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$4.30 GHS 50.0

30.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.34 GHS 15.58

13.43%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$7,913 GHS 92.0K

165.79%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$9,662 GHS 112.4K

160.61%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$73.7 GHS 857

-15.21%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$19.07 GHS 222

50.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$42.25 GHS 491

-18.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$12.66 GHS 147

-47.31%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$470 GHS 5,464

-8.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$18.6K GHS 216.6K

-36.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$14.18 GHS 165

399.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$18.59 GHS 216

178.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$36.74 GHS 427

196.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$52.0 GHS 605

115.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

26.75

-57.76%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Elmina

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Elmina

$276 41.4% 14.4% $46

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Elmina

$168 25.2% 17.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Elmina

$55 8.2% 64.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Elmina

$135 20.2% 7.4% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Elmina

$25 * 3.8% 64.1% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Elmina

$8 * 1.2% 68.8% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $51.0 in Elmina. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $276 in Elmina – so Elmina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇭 Elmina

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

34,403

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.07 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Elmina 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Elmina

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 Elmina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,001 in Elmina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $51.0 in Elmina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Elmina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elmina – 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 Elmina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.