Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karaganda

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaganda: $929 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Karaganda
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Karaganda Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Karaganda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $929 in Karaganda, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Karaganda $929

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $1,498 in Karaganda, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Karaganda $1,498

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,067 in Karaganda, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Karaganda $2,067

Mexico City costs about 67% more than Karaganda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Karaganda is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$9.92 ₸4,483

11.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$34.77 ₸15.7K

40.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.62 ₸2,540

93.95%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.90 ₸861

93.68%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.87 ₸392

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.64 ₸290

95.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.37 ₸618

137.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.81 ₸1,271

96.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.33 ₸602

27.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.48 ₸219

529.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.34 ₸605

43.28%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.87 ₸845

45.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.37 ₸6,043

-11.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.55 ₸2,510

71.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.16 ₸5,043

29.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.51 ₸683

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.89 ₸857

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.78 ₸1,255

-28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.09 ₸944

4.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.63 ₸284

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.54 ₸245

246.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.04 ₸469

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.70 ₸315

81.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.18 ₸985

139.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.40 ₸3,798

92.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.36 ₸616

39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.11 ₸955

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.23 ₸104

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$15.45 ₸6,982

27.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.23 ₸558

62.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.24 ₸562

-58.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$3.22 ₸1,457

65.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.52 ₸236

192.31%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.6K ₸9.8M

2.02%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$32.3K ₸14.6M

-24.04%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$72.6 ₸32.8K

-15.85%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$9.86 ₸4,457

189.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$11.82 ₸5,342

191.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$45.55 ₸20.6K

23.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.09 ₸8,179

37.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.29 ₸2,390

25.90%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$133 ₸59.9K

222.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$60.5 ₸27.4K

12.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$57.6 ₸26.0K

-9.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$79.0 ₸35.7K

34.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$85.7 ₸38.7K

31.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$400 ₸180.6K

156.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$274 ₸123.7K

139.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$730 ₸330.1K

216.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$543 ₸245.7K

128.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,053 ₸475.8K

243.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$695 ₸314.0K

178.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$566 ₸256.1K

70.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

19.25

-41.30%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Karaganda: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Karaganda

$274 29.5% 58.2% $381

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Karaganda

$216 23.3% 32.1% $102

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Karaganda

$138 14.8% 32.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Karaganda

$127 13.7% 16.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Karaganda

$94 10.2% 24.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Karaganda

$56 6% 19.5% $14

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Karaganda

$24 2.6% 7.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $400 in Karaganda. 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 70% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $35.00 in Karaganda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $216 – making Karaganda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇿 Karaganda

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

20:24 8:24 PM

12 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

520,486

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Karaganda 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Karaganda

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 Karaganda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City, $929 in Karaganda – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $1,393 in Karaganda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 27% less in Karaganda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $133 in Karaganda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Karaganda, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Karaganda 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 $929 in Karaganda to $1,548 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Karaganda. 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.