Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jhelum

For one person, living is cheaper in Jhelum: $397 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Jhelum
Learn more

Jhelum Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Jhelum

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$397

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $397 in Jhelum.

Mexico City $1,608
Jhelum $397

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $606 in Jhelum.

Mexico City $2,549
Jhelum $606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $815 in Jhelum.

Mexico City $3,490
Jhelum $815

Living in Mexico City is roughly 305% more expensive than in Jhelum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Jhelum is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.84 PKR 508

477.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$10.86 PKR 3,004

345.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.52 PKR 1,527

87.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 PKR 688

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 PKR 613

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.52 PKR 419

142.76%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.48 PKR 134

247.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.32 PKR 89.0

296.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.64 PKR 176

168.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.60 PKR 167

406.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.27 PKR 350

52.76%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.19 PKR 329

142.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$2.66 PKR 736

312.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.36 PKR 654

291.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$2.70 PKR 746

460.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.10 PKR 304

177.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.34 PKR 95.4

470.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.56 PKR 156

262.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.63 PKR 175

266.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.30 PKR 83.5

580.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.38 PKR 104

373.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.41 PKR 114

260.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.41 PKR 112

209.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.86 PKR 516

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 PKR 154

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 PKR 648

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.42 PKR 392

273.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.17 PKR 46.63

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.33 PKR 3,136

74.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.07 PKR 295

71.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.10 PKR 304

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$2.87 PKR 793

84.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.18 PKR 326

27.97%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

-7.77%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

3.79%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$66.2 PKR 18.3K

-4.79%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$5.67 PKR 1,570

383.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$14.72 PKR 4,073

142.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$15.48 PKR 4,282

280.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$8.65 PKR 2,394

173.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.32 PKR 2,026

-12.57%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$26.16 PKR 7,238

1549.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,005 PKR 554.8K

469.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$18.73 PKR 5,183

264.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$26.05 PKR 7,207

103.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$54.9 PKR 15.2K

96.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$30.06 PKR 8,318

290.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$144 PKR 39.8K

674.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$79.7 PKR 22.0K

791.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$259 PKR 71.6K

899.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$160 PKR 44.2K

780.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$730 PKR 201.8K

397.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$474 PKR 131.2K

350.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.83

-4.06%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jhelum: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Jhelum

$80 20.1% 88.8% $631

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Jhelum

$71 17.9% 77.7% $248

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Jhelum

$53 13.3% 73.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Jhelum

$58 14.7% 62.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Jhelum

$87 21.8% 31.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Jhelum

$30 7.6% 58% $42

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Jhelum

$19 4.7% 27.1% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $144 in Jhelum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $11 in Jhelum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $71 per month, with Jhelum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇰 Jhelum

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

06:03 6:03 AM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

190,425

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Jhelum 14,140 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Jhelum

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 Jhelum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jhelum is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $596 in Jhelum 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $144 in Jhelum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 348% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Jhelum – a meal for two runs $11 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $397 in Jhelum versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jhelum but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Jhelum 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 Jhelum 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.