Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
Learn more

Ismailia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $330 in Ismailia.

Mexico City $1,548
Ismailia $330

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $561 in Ismailia.

Mexico City $2,436
Ismailia $561

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $792 in Ismailia.

Mexico City $3,323
Ismailia $792

Living in Mexico City is roughly 370% more expensive than in Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Ismailia is 76% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$3.30 E£176

233.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$14.58 E£778

233.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$3.76 E£201

189.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.04 E£55.5

253.85%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.30 E£15.91

443.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.13 E£6.85

861.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.32 E£70.6

146.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.80 E£96.0

207.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.79 E£42.30

115.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.36 E£19.07

738.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.60 E£32.12

220.00%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.15 E£61.5

137.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$3.49 E£186

237.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$3.98 E£213

139.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$6.95 E£371

107.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.45 E£77.3

108.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.54 E£29.05

250.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.41 E£22.01

385.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.31 E£16.79

606.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.26 E£13.89

638.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.32 E£17.12

484.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.23 E£12.31

526.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.20 E£10.67

535.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$1.86 E£99.5

180.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.48 E£293

195.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.04 E£55.4

82.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.89 E£101

123.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.23 E£12.26

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$3.77 E£201

421.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$0.39 E£20.60

412.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.48 E£25.72

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$1.13 E£60.2

372.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.42 E£22.18

261.90%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.6K E£1.5M

-20.13%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$14.6K E£780.2K

67.76%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$13.94 E£744

338.09%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$6.66 E£355

329.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$7.33 E£391

370.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$9.65 E£515

484.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.42 E£984

35.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$1.82 E£97.4

265.93%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$65.6 E£3,502

551.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$1,171 E£62.5K

893.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$12.92 E£690

424.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$9.19 E£491

465.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$127 E£6,764

-16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$27.53 E£1,470

308.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$78.3 E£4,181

1208.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$31.44 E£1,679

1980.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$120 E£6,414

1821.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$75.2 E£4,017

1550.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$458 E£24.5K

688.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$131 E£6,984

1380.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$101 E£5,387

855.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

21.33

-47.02%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 95.2% $623

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 66% $210

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 69.6% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 47.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 77.5% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ismailia

$13 4% 80.9% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 70.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 856% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $108 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

23:31 11:31 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

352,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Ismailia 12,410 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ismailia

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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 370% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 856% 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 $78.3 in Ismailia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $65.6 in Ismailia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ismailia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 370% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.