Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $513 in Kandy.

Mexico City $1,608
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $728 in Kandy.

Mexico City $2,549
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $943 in Kandy.

Mexico City $3,490
Kandy $943

Living in Mexico City is roughly 213% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kandy is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.66 LKR 885

299.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$13.01 LKR 4,324

271.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.00 LKR 1,996

72.50%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.90 LKR 632

94.21%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.52 LKR 174

221.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.26 LKR 87.1

388.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.86 LKR 620

71.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.80 LKR 931

89.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.15 LKR 382

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.52 LKR 174

484.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.77 LKR 255

151.95%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.71 LKR 568

69.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$5.14 LKR 1,708

113.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.25 LKR 1,412

117.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$6.87 LKR 2,285

120.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.84 LKR 280

130.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.73 LKR 574

17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.29 LKR 429

79.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.02 LKR 339

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.83 LKR 277

116.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.43 LKR 144

244.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.42 LKR 140

202.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-33.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.28 LKR 3,751

42.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.93 LKR 643

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.08 LKR 691

104.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.16 LKR 53.3

93.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$4.38 LKR 1,457

350.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.41 LKR 136

348.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.35 LKR 116

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$0.47 LKR 156

1027.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.15 LKR 383

31.30%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

55.66%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-34.72%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

6.73%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$3.86 LKR 1,282

609.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$12.72 LKR 4,227

180.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$10.85 LKR 3,606

443.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$6.80 LKR 2,262

247.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.74 LKR 909

133.58%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$21.65 LKR 7,199

1893.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$304 LKR 101.0K

3661.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$18.28 LKR 6,078

273.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$10.15 LKR 3,375

423.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

59.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$26.56 LKR 8,831

341.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$172 LKR 57.2K

547.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$113 LKR 37.5K

529.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$172 LKR 57.2K

1403.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

1401.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$397 LKR 131.9K

814.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$400 LKR 133.0K

433.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$262 LKR 86.9K

261.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-5.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kandy

$113 22% 84.1% $598

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 48.1% $154

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 59.6% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 64.6% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 40% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 77.3% $55

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 71.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

01:52 1:52 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

125,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kandy 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy is about 68% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.6 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $513 in Kandy – Kandy is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 78% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.