Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ibarra

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibarra: $664 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Ibarra
Learn more

Ibarra Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Ibarra

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $664 in Ibarra.

Mexico City $1,674
Ibarra $664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,152 in Ibarra.

Mexico City $2,606
Ibarra $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,639 in Ibarra.

Mexico City $3,537
Ibarra $1,639

Living in Mexico City is roughly 152% more expensive than in Ibarra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Ibarra is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$2.66 $2.66

298.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$965

$25.40 $25.40

104.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$199

$5.88 $5.88

82.48%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.5

$2.23 $2.23

70.40%

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

$1.61 MX$29.95

$1.05 $1.05

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.51

$0.56 $0.56

116.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.0

$1.98 $1.98

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.27 $2.27

139.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.90

$0.99 $0.99

73.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.1

$1.02 $1.02

191.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.77

$1.46 $1.46

32.19%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.5

$2.13 $2.13

30.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$3.79 $3.79

207.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.33 $5.33

77.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.76 $7.76

98.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.7

$2.01 $2.01

54.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.41

$1.20 $1.20

63.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.81

$1.33 $1.33

48.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.37

$0.92 $0.92

154.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.58

$0.48 $0.48

320.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.88

$1.02 $1.02

78.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.68

$0.70 $0.70

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.37

$1.03 $1.03

27.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.4

$3.02 $3.02

77.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$8.73 $8.73

85.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.38

$1.53 $1.53

28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.8

$3.15 $3.15

38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.66

$0.37 $0.37

-18.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.61

$1.52 $1.52

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.78

$1.47 $1.47

-68.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$100

$9.82 $9.82

-44.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$0.69 $0.69

114.49%

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

$21.4K MX$396.9K

$22.9K $22.9K

-6.78%

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

$23.8K MX$441.2K

$30.0K $30.0K

-20.69%

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

$62.0 MX$1,151

$28.33 $28.33

118.81%

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

$28.47 MX$529

$14.95 $14.95

90.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$634

$18.29 $18.29

86.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,084

$29.75 $29.75

96.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

$16.24 $16.24

50.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$122

$6.64 $6.64

-0.75%

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

$434 MX$8,064

$111 $111

290.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$260.7K

$8,911 $8,911

57.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,269

$59.7 $59.7

14.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,018

$45.20 $45.20

21.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,059

$91.6 $91.6

21.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,154

$50.6 $50.6

129.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$228 $228

416.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$178 $178

332.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.7K

$817 $817

214.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$508 $508

179.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

$759 $759

372.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

$625 $625

230.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

$603 $603

66.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.12

12.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ibarra: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Ibarra

$178 26.9% 76.9% $593

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Ibarra

$173 26.1% 46.5% $151

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Ibarra

$87 13% 56.9% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Ibarra

$111 16.7% 29.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Ibarra

$62 9.3% 50.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Ibarra

$43 6.5% 39.9% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Ibarra

$10 * 1.6% 58.7% $15

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $228 in Ibarra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 66% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $25 in Ibarra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $173 per month, with Ibarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Ibarra

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

108,666

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ibarra 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ibarra

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 Ibarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibarra wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibarra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $228 in Ibarra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $111 in Ibarra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibarra – a meal for two runs $25 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $664 in Ibarra versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibarra but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ibarra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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