Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Highland, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,680 in Highland, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
134

Cost of Living Index in Highland, CA
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Highland, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Highland, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,680

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Highland, CA

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,680 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Highland, CA $2,680

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $4,015 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Highland, CA $4,015

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $5,349 in Highland, CA, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Highland, CA $5,349

Mexico City is about 42% cheaper than Highland, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Highland, CA sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Highland, CA by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$25.04 $25.04

-55.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$78.1 $78.1

-37.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$15.14 $15.14

-28.01%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.65 $5.65

-34.87%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.08 $3.08

-47.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.45 $2.45

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$7.19 $7.19

-54.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$10.03 $10.03

-44.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.34 $1.34

26.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.69 $4.69

-35.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.55 $4.55

-57.80%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$5.29 $5.29

-48.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.57 $11.57

1.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.05 $9.05

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$19.55 $19.55

-26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.71 $4.71

-35.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.23 $2.23

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.02 $4.02

-50.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$5.45 $5.45

-59.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.40 $3.40

-43.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.91 $2.91

-35.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.94 $1.94

-25.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.49 $2.49

-49.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$11.72 $11.72

-55.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$14.79 $14.79

9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.49 $2.49

-23.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.78 $2.78

51.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.02 $2.02

-83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$29.83 $29.83

-34.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.05 $3.05

-34.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.89 $1.89

-72.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$31.72 $31.72

-83.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.56 $1.56

-2.56%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$28.4K $28.4K

-22.26%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.3K $26.3K

-6.63%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$221 $221

-72.39%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$77.6 $77.6

-63.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$78.7 $78.7

-56.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$40.95 $40.95

37.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$18.20 $18.20

-63.41%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,162 $1,162

-63.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$31.8K $31.8K

-63.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$62.8 $62.8

7.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$47.18 $47.18

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$107 $107

-0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$104 $104

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,489 $1,489

-31.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,219 $1,219

-46.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,331 $2,331

-0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,167 $2,167

-42.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,106 $3,106

16.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,390 $2,390

-19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.31

79.08%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Highland, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Highland, CA

$1.2K 45.5% 86.4% $565

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Highland, CA

$420 15.7% 32% $102

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Highland, CA

$392 14.6% 92.1% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Highland, CA

$144 5.4% 5.2% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Highland, CA

$377 14.1% 204% $253

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Highland, CA

$77 2.9% 11% $7.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Highland, CA

$50 1.9% 96.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,489 in Highland, CA. 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 $49.00 in Mexico City versus $78.0 in Highland, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $420 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Highland, CA

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

51,550

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Highland, CA 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Highland, CA

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 Highland, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $2,680 in Highland, CA – roughly 73% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $4,021 in Highland, CA. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $78.0 in Highland, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $2,680 in Highland, CA. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Highland, CA at $2,680. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Highland, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Mexico City to $2,680 in Highland, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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