Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gent

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,192 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Mexico City vs $2,192 in Gent, rent included.

Mexico City $1,561
Gent $2,192

A couple spends around $2,440 per month in Mexico City vs $3,416 in Gent, rent included.

Mexico City $2,440
Gent $3,416

A family of three spends $3,319 per month in Mexico City vs $4,640 in Gent, rent included.

Mexico City $3,319
Gent $4,640

Mexico City is about 29% cheaper than Gent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Gent sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Gent by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$22.23 €19.84

-49.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$114 €102

-57.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$15.74 €14.05

-28.65%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$4.26 €3.80

-11.74%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$3.34 €2.98

-50.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$2.98 €2.66

-57.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$5.56 €4.97

-41.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$5.63 €5.02

0.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$1.18 €1.05

53.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$2.81 €2.51

4.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$2.18 €1.94

-5.96%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$3.98 €3.56

-26.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$18.44 €16.46

-35.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$12.50 €11.16

-23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$19.94 €17.79

-25.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$2.74 €2.44

14.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$2.44 €2.18

-17.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$2.61 €2.33

-20.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$2.92 €2.61

-23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$2.14 €1.91

-3.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$1.95 €1.74

-3.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$1.34 €1.19

10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$1.10 €0.98

22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$12.90 €11.51

-58.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$8.79 €7.85

91.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

$2.00 €1.78

-1.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

$2.38 €2.13

81.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$3.40 €3.03

-90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

$58.5 €52.2

-65.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$11.44 €10.21

-81.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$2.98 €2.66

-82.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$51.6 €46.02

-89.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$2.01 €1.80

-24.38%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$34.9K €31.1K

-37.67%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$33.5K €29.9K

-25.98%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$226 €202

-72.13%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$21.13 €18.85

36.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$47.32 €42.23

-28.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$34.93 €31.17

59.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

$13.18 €11.76

88.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$16.05 €14.32

-57.82%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$563 €503

-24.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

$21.1K €18.9K

-43.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$107 €95.2

-34.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$47.92 €42.77

12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$108 €96.7

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$152 €135

-24.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$1,194 €1,065

-11.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$880 €786

-23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$1,807 €1,613

31.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$1,558 €1,390

-19.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$5,336 €4,761

-30.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$3,030 €2,704

-34.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$3,564 €3,180

-72.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.2

253.13%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Gent: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Gent

$880 39.6% 31.3% $210

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Gent

$357 16% 9.1% $30

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Gent

$341 15.3% 64.4% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Gent

$187 8.4% 18.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Gent

$294 13.2% 134% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Gent

$67 3% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Gent

$98 4.4% 274% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Mexico City versus $1,194 in Gent. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 257% higher in Gent, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $114 in Gent. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $357 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇪 Gent

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

15:05 3:05 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

237,000

💱 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 Gent 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gent

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 Gent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gent is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,341 per month in Mexico City and $3,288 in Gent. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,561 in Mexico City and $2,192 in Gent. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 189% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,561, than in Gent at $2,192. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gent 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.