Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
Learn more

Isle of Islay Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and on the Isle of Islay

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 on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Isle of Islay $4,354

Mexico City is about 34% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Isle of Islay sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Isle of Islay by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$21.60 £16.21

-48.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$81.4 £61.1

-40.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.60 £7.95

2.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.48 £3.36

-17.86%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.48 £1.86

-34.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.32 £0.99

-5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.83 £4.37

-44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$6.01 £4.51

-7.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.03 £1.52

-16.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.75 £1.32

72.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.74 £2.06

-29.93%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$5.41 £4.06

-49.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.39 £5.54

59.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.52 £7.14

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$15.36 £11.53

-6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.50 £1.88

20.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.20 £1.65

-14.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.82 £2.12

-29.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.87 £2.15

-23.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.06 £2.29

-37.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.11 £1.58

-11.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.86 £1.40

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.43 £1.82

-47.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$23.79 £17.85

-78.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$12.03 £9.03

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$3.26 £2.44

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.22 £2.41

31.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.50 £2.62

-90.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$98.1 £73.6

-79.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.75 £3.56

-57.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$3.79 £2.84

-86.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$26.58 £19.94

-79.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.07 £1.55

-26.57%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$38.5K £28.9K

-42.70%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$40.4K £30.3K

-39.37%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$238 £178

-74.31%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$13.09 £9.82

118.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$42.21 £31.67

-18.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$43.82 £32.88

28.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$13.44 £10.08

-50.45%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,918 £1,439

-77.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$24.8K £18.6K

-53.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$100 £75.1

-32.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$57.6 £43.19

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$121 £90.9

-12.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$87.1 £65.4

29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,272 £955

-19.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,039 £779

-37.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,126 £1,595

8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,449 £1,087

-14.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$5,528 £4,147

-34.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,409 £2,558

-43.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.41

108.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 58.8% $385

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 5.1% $16

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 54.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 8.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 136% $169

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 430% $110

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $334 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

16:46 4:46 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,457

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Isle of Islay 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 52%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.