Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Federal Way, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,292 in Federal Way, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 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
160

Cost of Living Index in Federal Way, WA
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Federal Way, WA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Federal Way, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,292

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Federal Way, WA

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $3,292 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Federal Way, WA $3,292

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $4,328 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Federal Way, WA $4,328

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $5,364 in Federal Way, WA, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Federal Way, WA $5,364

Mexico City is about 51% cheaper than Federal Way, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Federal Way, WA sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Federal Way, WA by 142%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$25.43 $25.43

-58.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$75.7 $75.7

-36.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$12.64 $12.64

-18.12%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$5.79 $5.79

-36.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.96 $2.96

-43.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.66 $1.66

-23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$7.20 $7.20

-55.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$7.09 $7.09

-25.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.11 $1.11

54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$4.06 $4.06

-25.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.17 $3.17

-38.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.25 $5.25

-44.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$16.13 $16.13

-31.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$10.70 $10.70

-13.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$19.14 $19.14

-20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$5.03 $5.03

-39.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.57 $1.57

23.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$4.15 $4.15

-51.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.63 $4.63

-50.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.59 $2.59

-21.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.46 $2.46

-26.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.29 $2.29

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$2.50 $2.50

-49.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$12.41 $12.41

-57.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$15.26 $15.26

5.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.78 $1.78

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$4.90 $4.90

-13.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.60 $2.60

-88.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.65 $2.65

-30.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.71 $1.71

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$29.95 $29.95

-82.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.31 $1.31

15.27%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$27.7K $27.7K

-21.58%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$27.2K $27.2K

-11.68%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$158 $158

-60.19%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$77.5 $77.5

-64.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$87.1 $87.1

-59.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$13.02 $13.02

352.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.91 $11.91

-46.26%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$1,423 $1,423

-69.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$31.4K $31.4K

-63.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$45.30 $45.30

50.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$44.29 $44.29

19.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$84.7 $84.7

27.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$101 $101

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$2,006 $2,006

-44.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$1,987 $1,987

-64.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,761 $2,761

-6.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$2,448 $2,448

-42.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$4,459 $4,459

-78.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.64

70.93%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Federal Way, WA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Federal Way, WA

$2K 60.4% 180% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Federal Way, WA

$420 12.8% 31.4% $100

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Federal Way, WA

$379 11.5% 91% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Federal Way, WA

$124 3.8% 20.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Federal Way, WA

$323 9.8% 156% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Federal Way, WA

$37 1.1% 48.6% $35

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Federal Way, WA

$22 * 0.7% 15.2% $3.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $2,006 in Federal Way, WA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Federal Way, WA are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $76 in Federal Way, WA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $420 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Federal Way, WA

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

2 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

101,030

💱 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 Federal Way, WA 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Federal Way, WA

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 Federal Way, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Federal Way, WA is pricier by about 105%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $4,938 in Federal Way, WA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,006 in Federal Way, WA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $3,292 in Federal Way, WA. That makes Mexico City about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $1,423 in Federal Way, WA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Federal Way, WA at $3,292. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Federal Way, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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