Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $837 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Hawassa, Ethiopia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Hawassa
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $837 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Hawassa $837

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,203 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Hawassa $1,203

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,569 in Hawassa, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Hawassa $1,569

Mexico City costs about 92% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$3.97 ETB 639
167.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$42.89 ETB 6,906
12.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$6.65 ETB 1,070
55.64%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.7
$0.88 ETB 142
319.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.05
$0.58 ETB 94.2
187.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.58
$0.65 ETB 104
95.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$0.82 ETB 133
289.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$2.28 ETB 367
132.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.13
$1.06 ETB 171
62.26%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.6
$1.22 ETB 196
149.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$0.98 ETB 157
97.96%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$1.53 ETB 246
88.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$7.34 ETB 1,182
49.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$9.99 ETB 1,608
-7.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$9.38 ETB 1,510
61.30%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$5.27 ETB 849
-42.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$0.65 ETB 105
198.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.73
$2.16 ETB 347
-6.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.12
$0.66 ETB 107
250.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.91
$0.50 ETB 79.7
308.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.53
$1.10 ETB 176
63.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.56
$0.65 ETB 105
127.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.62
$0.62 ETB 99.2
104.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.8
$7.89 ETB 1,270
-32.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$5.48 ETB 882
193.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.95
$0.72 ETB 115
175.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.2
$1.26 ETB 204
237.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.68
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.23
$1.30 ETB 209
41.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$0.29 ETB 46.86
82.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$1.97 ETB 317
169.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.14
$0.97 ETB 156
55.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.3K
$55.2K ETB 8.9M
-60.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.9K
$56.1K ETB 9.0M
-57.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,173
$207 ETB 33.3K
-69.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$510
$7.40 ETB 1,191
270.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$664
$213 ETB 34.3K
-83.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,098
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$3.65 ETB 587
75.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,041
$628 ETB 101.1K
-31.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.8K
$30.4K ETB 4.9M
-62.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,271
$32.89 ETB 5,295
107.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$70.7 ETB 11.4K
-24.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,008
$77.1 ETB 12.4K
39.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,185
$81.3 ETB 13.1K
44.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$502 ETB 80.8K
325.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Hawassa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
18.5
-38.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Hawassa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Hawassa
$206 35.6% $114
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Hawassa
$76 61.8% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Hawassa
$118 24.4% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Hawassa
$428 239% $301
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Hawassa
$7.3 * 89.8% $64
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Hawassa
$2.8 * 89.2% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $43 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $206 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇪🇹 Hawassa
🕒 Local time
00:28 12:28 AM
09:28 9:28 AM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
160,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Hawassa 14,520 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in Hawassa compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $837 in Hawassa – Hawassa comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Hawassa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,256 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $43 in Hawassa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 55% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Hawassa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Hawassa?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $837 in Hawassa to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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