Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,258 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,258 in Isabela.

Mexico City $1,674
Isabela $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,974 in Isabela.

Mexico City $2,606
Isabela $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,690 in Isabela.

Mexico City $3,537
Isabela $2,690

Living in Mexico City is roughly 33% more expensive than in Isabela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Isabela is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$19.01 $19.01

-44.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$81.5 $81.5

-36.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$8.95 $8.95

19.89%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.62 $3.62

4.97%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.91 $1.91

-15.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$1.51 $1.51

-19.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$3.02 $3.02

5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$5.09 $5.09

6.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.97 $1.97

-12.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$2.81 $2.81

5.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.21 $1.21

59.50%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.95 $2.95

-6.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$10.82 $10.82

7.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$6.46 $6.46

46.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$13.50 $13.50

13.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$4.37 $4.37

-29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$2.62 $2.62

-25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$4.89 $4.89

-59.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$4.71 $4.71

-50.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$3.85 $3.85

-47.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$4.07 $4.07

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$3.52 $3.52

-56.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.64 $1.64

-20.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$11.76 $11.76

-54.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$15.43 $15.43

4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.99 $2.99

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.96 $3.96

9.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.46 $2.46

-21.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.54 $1.54

-69.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$41.55 $41.55

-86.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$0.88 $0.88

68.18%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$34.8K $34.8K

-38.54%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$28.1K $28.1K

-15.43%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$315 $315

-80.31%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$68.8 $68.8

-58.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$70.2 $70.2

-51.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$10.38 $10.38

-36.51%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$837 $837

-48.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$12.7K $12.7K

10.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$56.7 $56.7

20.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$61.7 $61.7

-11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$110 $110

1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$115 $115

1.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.55

73.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Isabela: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Isabela

$358 28.4% 10.5% $34

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Isabela

$261 20.8% 30.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Isabela

$154 12.3% 2.1% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Isabela

$454 36.1% 264% $329

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 71% $51

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 59.3% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $81 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $358 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

45,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Isabela 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,887 in Isabela to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $837 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Isabela is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.