Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $453 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
Learn more

Gampaha Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $453 in Gampaha.

Mexico City $1,548
Gampaha $453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $768 in Gampaha.

Mexico City $2,436
Gampaha $768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,083 in Gampaha.

Mexico City $3,323
Gampaha $1,083

Living in Mexico City is roughly 242% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Gampaha is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$1.84 LKR 609

498.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$18.22 LKR 6,034

167.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.20 LKR 1,721

109.62%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.24 LKR 410

196.77%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.53 LKR 176

207.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.25 LKR 82.1

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.12 LKR 701

53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.05 LKR 1,010

81.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.63 LKR 539

4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.41 LKR 135

636.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.73 LKR 241

163.01%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.65 LKR 548

65.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.91 LKR 4,607

-15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.03 LKR 1,334

136.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.43 LKR 2,460

93.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$5.95 LKR 1,972

-49.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.82 LKR 270

130.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.51 LKR 1,493

-55.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.32 LKR 436

65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.95 LKR 314

102.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.84 LKR 277

122.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.29 LKR 94.8

396.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.34 LKR 114

273.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$9.88 LKR 3,273

-47.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$13.04 LKR 4,319

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.35 LKR 447

40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.44 LKR 808

72.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.29 LKR 95.2

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.29 LKR 95.0

589.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.36 LKR 120

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$0.89 LKR 295

500.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.17 LKR 388

29.91%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$30.6K LKR 10.1M

-27.74%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$39.9K LKR 13.2M

-38.59%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$27.15 LKR 8,994

124.94%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$2.99 LKR 991

855.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$10.85 LKR 3,592

217.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$7.73 LKR 2,561

629.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$4.55 LKR 1,508

46.37%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$14.93 LKR 4,944

2760.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$121 LKR 40.1K

9517.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$18.28 LKR 6,054

270.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$9.02 LKR 2,987

476.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$59.9 LKR 19.8K

76.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$23.95 LKR 7,933

369.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$90.2 LKR 29.9K

1036.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$56.4 LKR 18.7K

1059.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$302 LKR 100.2K

663.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$163 LKR 54.0K

661.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$231 LKR 76.4K

318.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Gampaha

$56 12.5% 91.4% $598

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Gampaha

$221 48.7% 30.6% $97

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Gampaha

$65 14.3% 68.1% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Gampaha

$50 11% 67.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Gampaha

$41 9% 67% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Gampaha

$17 3.7% 75.8% $53

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Gampaha

$3.2 * 0.7% 87.4% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 318% 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 $18.00 in Gampaha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $221 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

20,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Gampaha 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Gampaha differ by about 242% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $453 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 318% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $90.2 in Gampaha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $14.93 in Gampaha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $453 in Gampaha versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha 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.

Expats usually find Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 242% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.