Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Huancayo

For one person, living is cheaper in Huancayo: $488 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Huancayo
Learn more

Huancayo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Huancayo

🇵🇪 Peru

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $488 in Huancayo, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Huancayo $488

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $825 in Huancayo, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Huancayo $825

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $1,162 in Huancayo, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Huancayo $1,162

Mexico City costs about 217% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Huancayo is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$2.27 PEN 7.80

385.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$34.56 PEN 119

40.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.86 PEN 23.54

58.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.29 PEN 11.31

11.85%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.12 PEN 3.83

45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.64 PEN 2.20

95.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.59 PEN 8.91

25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.29 PEN 14.73

28.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.15 PEN 3.93

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.05 PEN 3.60

187.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.29 PEN 4.43

48.84%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.41 PEN 8.26

13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$5.14 PEN 17.64

128.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.97 PEN 20.49

59.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$5.20 PEN 17.87

177.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.41 PEN 4.86

114.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.03 PEN 3.53

83.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.55 PEN 1.90

261.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.19 PEN 4.10

84.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.85 PEN 2.93

125.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.89 PEN 3.05

110.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.57 PEN 1.96

152.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.89 PEN 3.07

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.70 PEN 19.57

-8.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.09 PEN 17.47

217.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.87 PEN 6.41

1.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.18 PEN 10.91

32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.59 PEN 2.03

-42.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$17.38 PEN 59.7

13.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.84 PEN 6.32

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.00 PEN 6.88

-74.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$7.22 PEN 24.79

-26.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.43 PEN 4.91

6.29%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.7K PEN 74.6K

1.57%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

-4.66%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$34.52 PEN 119

76.91%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.76 PEN 40.39

143.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$11.82 PEN 40.59

191.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.30 PEN 25.07

-8.77%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$182 PEN 624

134.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$12.9K PEN 44.3K

-9.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$53.8 PEN 185

26.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$35.51 PEN 122

46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$85.3 PEN 293

24.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$80.1 PEN 275

40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$324 PEN 1,112

216.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

8.94

26.40%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Huancayo: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Huancayo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Huancayo

$162 33.2% 49% $156

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Huancayo

$107 21.9% 47.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Huancayo

$115 23.5% 24.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Huancayo

$58 11.9% 53.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Huancayo

$15 * 3% 79.1% $55

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Huancayo

$32 6.5% 23.3% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $324 in Huancayo. 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 $35.00 in Huancayo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $162 – making Huancayo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 Huancayo

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

27,552

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Huancayo 4,370 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Huancayo

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 Huancayo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 217% more than Huancayo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $732 in Huancayo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Huancayo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $488 in Huancayo. That's a gap of about 217%.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Huancayo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Huancayo, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Huancayo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Huancayo costs $488 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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