Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Grecia

For one person, living is cheaper in Grecia: $1,506 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
73

Cost of Living Index in Grecia
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Grecia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Grecia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,506 in Grecia.

Mexico City $1,608
Grecia $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,101 in Grecia.

Mexico City $2,549
Grecia $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,696 in Grecia.

Mexico City $3,490
Grecia $2,696

Living in Mexico City is roughly 7% more expensive than in Grecia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Grecia 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.27 ₡4,635

3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$53.5 ₡24.2K

-9.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$11.68 ₡5,273

-11.39%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.22 ₡1,451

14.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.80 ₡814

-7.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.86 ₡842

-31.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.62 ₡1,183

21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.90 ₡1,310

83.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.03 ₡918

-15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.13 ₡509

169.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.49 ₡1,122

-22.09%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.55 ₡1,602

-18.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.50 ₡3,384

46.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.51 ₡2,939

42.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$14.26 ₡6,437

6.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.48 ₡1,122

22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.59 ₡718

22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.35 ₡611

50.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.72 ₡775

34.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.78 ₡803

14.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.57 ₡708

14.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.96 ₡432

54.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$2.22 ₡1,002

-42.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$6.03 ₡2,724

-12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$12.47 ₡5,631

29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.12 ₡956

-6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.56 ₡703

172.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.84 ₡830

-83.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.02 ₡913

-8.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.57 ₡707

-66.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.48 ₡3,828

-37.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.59 ₡716

-5.03%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-36.69%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-41.87%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$86.2 ₡38.9K

-26.95%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$26.86 ₡12.1K

1.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-39.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$50.2 ₡22.7K

17.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$11.97 ₡5,402

97.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.56 ₡3,415

-15.34%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$985 ₡444.6K

-56.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-34.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$70.3 ₡31.7K

-2.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$55.2 ₡24.9K

-3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$128 ₡57.7K

-15.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$134 ₡60.6K

-12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$442 ₡199.3K

152.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$621 ₡280.3K

14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$772 ₡348.5K

235.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$678 ₡306.2K

107.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$660 ₡297.8K

43.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Grecia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Grecia

$621 41.2% 12.6% $90

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Grecia

$267 17.7% 16.4% $52

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Grecia

$189 12.6% 4.7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Grecia

$174 11.6% 11.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Grecia

$172 11.4% 36.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Grecia

$65 4.3% 8.9% $6.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Grecia

$17 * 1.1% 32.4% $8.3

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $442 in Grecia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $54 in Grecia. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $267, with Grecia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Grecia

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

16,700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, 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).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Grecia 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Grecia

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 Grecia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grecia wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Grecia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $442 in Grecia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $985 in Grecia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $54 in Grecia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Grecia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Grecia wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.