Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Half Way Tree

For one person, living is cheaper in Half Way Tree: $853 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Half Way Tree
Learn more

Half Way Tree Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Half Way Tree

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Half Way Tree

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 Half Way Tree actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $853 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Half Way Tree $853

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,419 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Half Way Tree $1,419

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,984 in Half Way Tree, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Half Way Tree $1,984

Mexico City costs about 96% more than Half Way Tree, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Half Way Tree is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$4.58 JMD 723

131.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$76.1 JMD 12.0K

-31.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$8.05 JMD 1,269

33.29%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$5.41 JMD 854

-29.76%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.96 JMD 151

67.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.60 JMD 94.7

101.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.24 JMD 354

41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.12 JMD 492

74.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$3.79 JMD 598

-54.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.66 JMD 261

78.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.43 JMD 225

34.97%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$3.59 JMD 566

-22.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$11.53 JMD 1,818

1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$6.33 JMD 998

49.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$10.47 JMD 1,652

46.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$4.26 JMD 672

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$3.96 JMD 624

-50.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$4.15 JMD 655

-52.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$2.75 JMD 434

-14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.74 JMD 433

-26.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$2.63 JMD 414

-30.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.24 JMD 196

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.97 JMD 153

35.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$9.60 JMD 1,514

-44.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$11.51 JMD 1,815

40.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.79 JMD 439

-29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.92 JMD 618

10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$44.91 JMD 7,083

-56.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$0.90 JMD 142

113.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$3.07 JMD 484

-84.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.26 JMD 987

-13.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.38 JMD 217

7.25%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$44.4K JMD 7.0M

-51.88%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-27.07%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$171 JMD 27.0K

-63.73%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$28.93 JMD 4,564

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$44.29 JMD 6,985

-22.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$13.28 JMD 2,095

-50.38%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$62.8 JMD 9,906

591.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$8,201 JMD 1.3M

71.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$15.54 JMD 2,451

339.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$31.86 JMD 5,025

72.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$31.23 JMD 4,925

254.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$31.59 JMD 4,982

267.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$1,126 JMD 177.6K

4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.45

20.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Half Way Tree: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Half Way Tree

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Half Way Tree

$322 37.8% 0.4% $1.1

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Half Way Tree

$149 17.5% 25.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Half Way Tree

$50 5.8% 68.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Half Way Tree

$244 28.6% 96% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Half Way Tree

$27 * 3.1% 62.9% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Half Way Tree

$61 * 7.2% 145% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,126 in Half Way Tree. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $76 in Half Way Tree. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Mexico City vs $322 in Half Way Tree – so Half Way Tree wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇲 Half Way Tree

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

18,552

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Half Way Tree 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Half Way Tree

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 Half Way Tree: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 96% more than Half Way Tree, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,280 in Half Way Tree. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,126 in Half Way Tree. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $76 in Half Way Tree. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,674 in Mexico City and $853 in Half Way Tree. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Half Way Tree costs $853 versus $1,674 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.