Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,277 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,277

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $1,277 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Kanazawa $1,277

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $2,031 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Kanazawa $2,031

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,786 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Kanazawa $2,786

Mexico City costs about 21% more than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Kanazawa is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.64 ¥1,206

44.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.61 ¥4,994

54.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$4.73 ¥747

130.44%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.26 ¥358

62.83%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.14 ¥180

42.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.58 ¥91.2

115.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.03 ¥320

60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.33 ¥368

137.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.55 ¥245

9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.32 ¥208

128.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$5.30 ¥837

-63.77%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.07 ¥327

31.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$12.52 ¥1,978

-5.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.41 ¥1,487

1.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$31.96 ¥5,049

-54.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.62 ¥572

-16.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.28 ¥360

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$6.48 ¥1,024

-69.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.14 ¥655

-47.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.73 ¥589

-48.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$3.42 ¥540

-45.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.28 ¥201

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.03 ¥163

23.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.55 ¥561

47.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.40 ¥1,327

92.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.96 ¥310

-3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.52 ¥239

177.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.49 ¥236

-77.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$54.4 ¥8,598

-63.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.11 ¥491

-35.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$3.22 ¥508

-83.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$26.21 ¥4,140

-79.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.11 ¥175

36.94%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$20.3K ¥3.2M

8.67%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

49.27%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$148 ¥23.3K

-58.66%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$24.34 ¥3,845

17.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$43.30 ¥6,840

-20.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$42.68 ¥6,743

32.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.47 ¥1,812

-41.94%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$320 ¥50.6K

33.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,140 ¥970.0K

89.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$49.59 ¥7,834

36.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$25.27 ¥3,993

105.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$45.94 ¥7,258

130.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$64.9 ¥10.3K

73.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$539 ¥85.1K

90.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$327 ¥51.6K

100.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,100 ¥173.7K

109.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$749 ¥118.3K

65.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,294 ¥678.4K

-15.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,742 ¥275.3K

11.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,857 ¥293.4K

-48.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.28

395.61%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Kanazawa

$327 25.6% 50.1% $328

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Kanazawa

$382 29.9% 20.2% $64

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Kanazawa

$124 9.7% 39.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Kanazawa

$84 6.5% 45.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Kanazawa

$215 16.9% 73.5% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kanazawa

$66 5.1% 5.9% $4.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Kanazawa

$80 6.2% 211% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $539 in Kanazawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Kanazawa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $32.00 in Kanazawa. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Mexico City vs $382 in Kanazawa – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

21:53 9:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

465,699

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kanazawa 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $1,277 in Kanazawa – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,916 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $1,277 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 177% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,277, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,277 in Kanazawa to $1,548 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kanazawa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.