Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Galway

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,331 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,331 in Galway.

Mexico City $1,561
Galway $3,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $4,673 in Galway.

Mexico City $2,440
Galway $4,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $6,015 in Galway.

Mexico City $3,319
Galway $6,015

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 53% less than in Galway, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Galway 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$22.88 €20.42

-51.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$112 €100

-56.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$16.51 €14.73

-31.98%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$4.98 €4.44

-24.50%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$2.99 €2.66

-44.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$2.31 €2.06

-44.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$7.85 €7.00

-58.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$6.91 €6.17

-18.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$1.65 €1.47

9.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$2.39 €2.14

23.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$2.19 €1.95

-6.39%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$4.26 €3.80

-31.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$17.01 €15.18

-29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$11.11 €9.92

-14.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$13.55 €12.09

9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$3.12 €2.78

0.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$2.18 €1.95

-7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$3.13 €2.79

-33.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$4.18 €3.73

-46.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$2.05 €1.83

0.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$1.49 €1.33

26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$1.32 €1.18

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$1.91 €1.71

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$20.25 €18.07

-73.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$13.99 €12.48

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

$4.07 €3.64

-51.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

$4.47 €3.99

-3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$2.15 €1.92

-84.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

$62.4 €55.7

-67.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$5.29 €4.72

-60.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$1.48 €1.32

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$55.5 €49.56

-90.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$2.09 €1.87

-27.27%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$39.5K €35.2K

-44.96%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$37.4K €33.4K

-33.70%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$246 €219

-74.36%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$21.02 €18.76

37.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$51.8 €46.20

-34.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$44.53 €39.74

25.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

$22.10 €19.73

12.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$16.91 €15.09

-59.96%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$1,019 €909

-58.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$102 €90.8

-31.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$48.56 €43.34

10.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$111 €99.5

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$114 €102

1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$2,243 €2,001

-52.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$1,910 €1,705

-64.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$3,652 €3,259

-34.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$2,678 €2,390

-52.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$5,985 €5,341

-37.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$4,556 €4,066

-56.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$2,943 €2,627

-66.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.68

207.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Galway: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Galway

$1.9K 57.9% 185% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Galway

$370 11.2% 13.3% $43

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Galway

$367 11.1% 77% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Galway

$169 5.1% 7.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Galway

$318 9.7% 153% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Galway

$78 2.4% 13% $9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Galway

$84 2.5% 218% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $2,243 in Galway. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Galway pays 195% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $112 in Galway for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $370 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇪 Galway

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

75,529

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Galway 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Galway

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 Galway: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 113% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 195% lower in Galway. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $2,243 in Galway. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Galway. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $112 in Galway. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,331 in Galway, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Galway. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Galway, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Galway 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 113% less than in Galway. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.