Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
Learn more

Glasgow Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Glasgow $4,987

Mexico City is about 34% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Glasgow sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Glasgow by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$21.28 £15.97

-50.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$67.2 £50.4

-28.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.58 £7.94

-2.17%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$4.81 £3.61

-23.28%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.26 £1.69

-26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.83 £1.37

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$5.48 £4.11

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$6.63 £4.98

-19.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.67 £1.25

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.64 £1.23

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.00 £1.50

-3.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.00 £3.00

-27.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$9.28 £6.96

18.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.08 £6.82

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$16.75 £12.57

-9.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.02 £2.27

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.51 £1.13

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.91 £2.19

-30.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$3.19 £2.39

-27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.93 £1.45

5.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.55 £1.16

16.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.13 £0.85

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.58 £1.19

-19.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$23.96 £17.98

-77.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.32 £8.49

42.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$3.37 £2.53

-41.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.33 £2.50

27.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$3.98 £2.99

-92.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$108 £81.1

-81.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$5.75 £4.32

-68.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.14 £0.86

-53.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$60.6 £45.48

-91.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$2.09 £1.57

-27.75%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$39.3K £29.5K

-44.61%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$40.6K £30.5K

-40.96%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$312 £234

-79.84%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$20.29 £15.22

34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$42.05 £31.55

-15.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$37.31 £28.00

57.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$20.73 £15.56

14.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$16.26 £12.20

-60.64%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$1,124 £843

-61.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$21.6K £16.2K

-47.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$132 £99.0

-48.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$45.81 £34.37

15.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$107 £80.0

1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$93.4 £70.1

25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$1,368 £1,027

-18.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,047 £786

-32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,770 £2,078

-6.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$2,080 £1,561

-32.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$4,035 £3,027

-10.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,923 £2,193

-26.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$3,339 £2,505

-71.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.79

136.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 47.4% $337

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 2.7% $8.7

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 59.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Glasgow

$170 7% 9.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 197% $249

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 2.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 432% $110

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,368 in Glasgow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Glasgow are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $67 in Glasgow. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $311 in Glasgow – so Glasgow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

05:06 5:06 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

606,340

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Glasgow 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Glasgow

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 Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $2,425 in Glasgow – Mexico City comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,637 in Glasgow. 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 $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Glasgow – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,425 in Glasgow, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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