Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Imphal

For one person, living is cheaper in Imphal: $351 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Imphal
Learn more

Imphal Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Imphal

🇮🇳 India

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $351 in Imphal.

Mexico City $1,674
Imphal $351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $572 in Imphal.

Mexico City $2,606
Imphal $572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $792 in Imphal.

Mexico City $3,537
Imphal $792

Living in Mexico City is roughly 377% more expensive than in Imphal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Imphal is 74% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$2.15 ₹203

392.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$8.58 ₹810

505.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$4.48 ₹423

139.51%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$0.76 ₹71.5

400.00%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.42 ₹39.83

283.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.18 ₹16.78

572.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.03 ₹97.4

208.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.83 ₹268

92.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$0.73 ₹68.8

135.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$0.80 ₹75.6

271.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.40 ₹37.77

382.50%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.29 ₹121

114.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$4.64 ₹439

151.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$2.88 ₹272

229.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.88 ₹177

64.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$0.69 ₹65.0

184.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$0.94 ₹88.9

110.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$0.45 ₹42.61

420.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$0.38 ₹36.13

431.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$0.41 ₹39.11

343.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.52 ₹48.80

196.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.25 ₹23.79

424.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$4.92 ₹465

8.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$11.32 ₹1,070

43.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.50 ₹142

30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.45 ₹137

200.00%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.40 ₹510

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.31 ₹29.15

-3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$7.60 ₹718

156.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$1.08 ₹102

77.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.33 ₹31.53

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.42 ₹134

280.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.11 ₹105

33.33%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$12.3K ₹1.2M

74.29%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$17.2K ₹1.6M

38.34%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$67.6 ₹6,388

-8.34%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$3.20 ₹302

789.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$4.88 ₹461

598.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$5.35 ₹505

991.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$1.62 ₹153

1412.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$2.65 ₹250

148.68%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$14.65 ₹1,383

2864.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$1,556 ₹147.0K

801.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$20.87 ₹1,972

227.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$20.74 ₹1,959

164.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$31.35 ₹2,961

253.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$32.24 ₹3,046

259.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$88.9 ₹8,399

1226.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$42.95 ₹4,058

1694.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$251 ₹23.7K

923.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$181 ₹17.1K

682.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$423 ₹39.9K

748.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$258 ₹24.3K

700.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$184 ₹17.4K

445.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

14.35

-20.91%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imphal: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Imphal

$43 12.2% 94.4% $728

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Imphal

$110 31.3% 66% $214

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Imphal

$53 15.1% 73.6% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Imphal

$47 13.5% 69.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Imphal

$76 21.6% 39.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Imphal

$11 3% 85.1% $61

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Imphal

$12 3.3% 53.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $89 in Imphal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $9 in Imphal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $110 per month, with Imphal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇳 Imphal

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

08:33 8:33 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

500,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Imphal 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Imphal

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 Imphal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $351 in Imphal, so Imphal is about 79% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.5 times higher, 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 $89 in Imphal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 194% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imphal – a meal for two runs $9 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $351 in Imphal versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Imphal but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Imphal 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.

Expats usually find Imphal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.