Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
Learn more

Kandana Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $509 in Kandana, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Kandana $509

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $827 in Kandana, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Kandana $827

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,145 in Kandana, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Kandana $1,145

Mexico City costs about 229% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Kandana is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.76 LKR 1,252

181.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$25.18 LKR 8,377

106.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.45 LKR 2,477

44.03%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.43 LKR 808

56.38%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.72 LKR 238

123.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.27 LKR 90.6

348.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.18 LKR 726

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.08 LKR 1,025

76.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.58 LKR 526

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.54 LKR 178

450.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.75 LKR 248

157.33%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.65 LKR 549

67.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$15.19 LKR 5,051

-23.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.88 LKR 1,622

94.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.76 LKR 2,581

98.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-53.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$0.82 LKR 273

139.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$4.11 LKR 1,368

-51.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.28 LKR 426

82.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.03 LKR 343

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.82 LKR 271

121.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.24 LKR 413

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.46 LKR 152

184.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.42 LKR 4,464

20.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.87 LKR 623

4.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.97 LKR 988

46.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.38 LKR 126

405.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.33 LKR 111

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$0.86 LKR 288

529.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.37 LKR 457

8.03%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-51.62%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-47.81%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

7.90%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$4.30 LKR 1,430

562.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$20.55 LKR 6,835

65.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.45 LKR 1,480

48.09%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

976.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-18.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$18.24 LKR 6,065

274.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$17.49 LKR 5,817

213.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

38.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

183.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

12.5

-9.20%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 25% $81

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 48.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 55.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 33.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 87.6% $63

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4% 91.8% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $25 in Kandana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $243 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

15:58 3:58 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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 = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kandana 17,070 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 229%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $764 in Kandana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $509 in Kandana. That makes Kandana about 70% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $40 in Kandana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 versus $1,674 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.