Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Erdenet

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $376 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $376 in Erdenet.

Mexico City $1,608
Erdenet $376

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $621 in Erdenet.

Mexico City $2,549
Erdenet $621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $866 in Erdenet.

Mexico City $3,490
Erdenet $866

Living in Mexico City is roughly 328% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Erdenet is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.20 MNT 15.1K

152.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$27.73 MNT 99.8K

74.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.10 MNT 14.7K

152.44%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.27 MNT 8,180

62.56%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.61 MNT 2,184

173.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.44 MNT 1,581

188.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.64 MNT 5,886

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.65 MNT 5,949

221.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.03 MNT 3,702

66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.91 MNT 3,266

234.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.75 MNT 9,902

-29.45%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.04 MNT 7,346

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.07 MNT 25.4K

55.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.06 MNT 25.4K

31.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$4.35 MNT 15.7K

247.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.25 MNT 8,095

35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.66 MNT 5,962

16.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.64 MNT 5,895

23.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.36 MNT 4,885

69.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.43 MNT 5,135

42.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.80 MNT 2,869

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.37 MNT 4,926

8.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.92 MNT 3,326

38.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

87.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$5.41 MNT 19.5K

197.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.71 MNT 6,160

15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.68 MNT 6,047

152.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.15 MNT 537

106.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$19.42 MNT 69.9K

1.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$0.66 MNT 2,377

178.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.44 MNT 1,566

20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.76 MNT 2,737

98.68%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$59.5 MNT 214.0K

5.90%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$2.72 MNT 9,802

906.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$14.04 MNT 50.5K

154.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,041

$276 MNT 994.5K

56.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$2,461 MNT 8.9M

364.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$227 MNT 815.6K

317.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Erdenet

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Erdenet

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Erdenet

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Erdenet

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Erdenet

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Erdenet

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Erdenet

–

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays about 4.2 times 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $28 in Erdenet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $188 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

13:06 1:06 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

86,866

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,006 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Erdenet 12,060 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $376 in Erdenet, so Erdenet is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 70% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $376 in Erdenet – Erdenet is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $376 in Erdenet versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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.

It comes down to priorities – Erdenet wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.