Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kaluga

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaluga: $1,021 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Kaluga
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Kaluga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Kaluga

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,021 in Kaluga.

Mexico City $1,674
Kaluga $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,594 in Kaluga.

Mexico City $2,606
Kaluga $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,168 in Kaluga.

Mexico City $3,537
Kaluga $2,168

Living in Mexico City is roughly 64% more expensive than in Kaluga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Kaluga is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$10.25 ₽840

3.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$37.27 ₽3,055

39.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$4.96 ₽407

116.33%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.62 ₽215

45.04%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.92 ₽75.3

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.58 ₽47.85

108.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.44 ₽118

120.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.82 ₽149

198.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.26 ₽103

36.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.99 ₽81.5

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.42 ₽198

-20.25%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.05 ₽168

35.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$13.66 ₽1,120

-14.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.81 ₽558

39.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$14.45 ₽1,185

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.83 ₽150

69.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.72 ₽141

13.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.71 ₽140

15.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.86 ₽234

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.54 ₽44.61

274.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.56 ₽45.61

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.49 ₽122

3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.82 ₽67.1

59.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.18 ₽261

68.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$8.61 ₽705

88.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.21 ₽99.4

61.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.73 ₽224

59.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.45 ₽36.53

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$18.83 ₽1,544

3.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.95 ₽77.5

102.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$6.71 ₽550

-19.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.86 ₽70.3

72.09%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$53.1K ₽4.4M

-59.76%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-43.16%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$126 ₽10.3K

-50.90%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$6.13 ₽503

364.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$9.38 ₽769

263.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$49.75 ₽4,078

17.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$24.64 ₽2,019

-0.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$3.65 ₽299

80.55%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$341 ₽28.0K

27.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$97.7 ₽8,004

-30.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$37.38 ₽3,064

46.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$184 ₽15.0K

-39.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$94.5 ₽7,744

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$302 ₽24.8K

290.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$223 ₽18.2K

246.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$627 ₽51.4K

309.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$367 ₽30.1K

286.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,541 ₽126.3K

132.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,302 ₽106.7K

58.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$662 ₽54.2K

51.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

23.12

-50.91%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kaluga: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Kaluga

$223 21.8% 71.1% $548

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Kaluga

$247 24.2% 23.8% $77

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Kaluga

$145 14.2% 27.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Kaluga

$186 18.2% 18% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Kaluga

$142 13.9% 13.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Kaluga

$57 5.6% 20.3% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Kaluga

$22 * 2.1% 13.7% $3.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $302 in Kaluga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 52% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $37 in Kaluga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $247 per month, with Kaluga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇺 Kaluga

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

07:05 7:05 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

331,842

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.97 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.27 RUB (100 RUB = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kaluga 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kaluga

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 Kaluga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,021 in Kaluga, so Kaluga is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 52% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $302 in Kaluga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kaluga runs roughly 3% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $341 in Kaluga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kaluga gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Kaluga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.