Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ibb

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $882 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
Learn more

Ibb Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $882 in Ibb.

Mexico City $1,548
Ibb $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,455 in Ibb.

Mexico City $2,436
Ibb $1,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,028 in Ibb.

Mexico City $3,323
Ibb $2,028

Living in Mexico City is roughly 75% more expensive than in Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Ibb is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.53 YER 1,541

68.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$19.34 YER 4,562

151.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.83 YER 2,084

23.44%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 YER 482

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 YER 593

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.81 YER 898

-3.41%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.12 YER 265

45.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.45 YER 106

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.96 YER 463

-13.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.02 YER 242

196.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.05 YER 484

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.59 YER 848

-23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.96 YER 3,293

-15.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.13 YER 1,918

17.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.82 YER 4,439

-23.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.44 YER 812

-12.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.04 YER 246

81.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.15 YER 507

-7.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.72 YER 406

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.52 YER 359

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.33 YER 314

40.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.83 YER 195

73.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.68 YER 160

86.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.56 YER 604

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 YER 441

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 610

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.91 YER 921

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.10 YER 495

-4.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.59 YER 610

-79.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$7.36 YER 1,736

-27.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.09 YER 494

-27.27%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$17.2K YER 4.0M

28.62%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$35.0K YER 8.3M

-30.01%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$62.6 YER 14.8K

-2.46%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$15.86 YER 3,742

80.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$29.84 YER 7,039

15.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.88 YER 1,386

13.27%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$24.47 YER 5,773

1645.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,201 YER 519.3K

428.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$29.87 YER 7,047

126.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$122 YER 28.7K

-57.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$47.40 YER 11.2K

123.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$41.56 YER 9,804

170.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$320 YER 75.5K

220.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$257 YER 60.6K

154.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$752 YER 177.5K

206.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$631 YER 148.9K

96.77%

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

$361 YER 85.1K

167.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.25

0.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ibb

$257 29.2% 60.7% $397

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ibb

$251 28.4% 21.1% $67

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ibb

$131 14.8% 35.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ibb

$108 12.3% 28.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ibb

$108 12.3% 12.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ibb

$12 * 1.3% 83.1% $58

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ibb

$15 * 1.7% 41.4% $11

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $320 in Ibb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 167% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $19.00 in Ibb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $251 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇾🇪 Ibb

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

17:18 5:18 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

208,844

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ibb 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ibb

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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibb is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 167% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $320 in Ibb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $882 in Ibb – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $882 in Ibb versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ibb is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Ibb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.