Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Karlovac

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovac: $1,222 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Karlovac
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Karlovac Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Karlovac

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,222 in Karlovac.

Mexico City $1,608
Karlovac $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,821 in Karlovac.

Mexico City $2,549
Karlovac $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,419 in Karlovac.

Mexico City $3,490
Karlovac $2,419

Living in Mexico City is roughly 32% more expensive than in Karlovac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Karlovac is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$11.20 €10.06

-5.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$44.46 €39.94

8.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.61 €6.84

36.01%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.96 €1.76

88.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.45 €2.20

-31.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.61 €1.45

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.43 €2.19

31.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.46 €2.21

115.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.13 €1.02

52.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.13 €1.02

169.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.53 €1.38

26.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.16 €2.84

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.05 €8.13

21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.86 €8.86

-6.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.02 €10.80

25.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.97 €1.77

54.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.84 €1.66

5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.83 €1.64

10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.01 €1.81

14.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.38 €1.24

47.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.06 €0.95

69.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.63 €1.46

-9.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.17 €1.05

8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$5.69 €5.11

-6.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$6.67 €5.99

141.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.61 €1.45

22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.31 €2.07

83.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.33 €2.99

-90.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$5.66 €5.09

-67.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.09 €0.98

-51.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.69 €1.52

-10.65%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$26.3K €23.6K

-17.34%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$24.7K €22.2K

-2.91%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$178 €160

-64.71%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$27.68 €24.86

-1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$38.87 €34.91

-8.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$38.63 €34.70

52.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$18.24 €16.39

29.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.55 €5.88

-2.29%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$427 €384

1.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$6,876 €6,176

66.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$89.3 €80.2

-23.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$49.51 €44.47

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$88.8 €79.8

21.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$78.3 €70.3

49.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$478 €429

133.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$349 €313

103.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$733 €659

253.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$530 €477

165.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,746 €2,467

32.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,382 €2,139

-10.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,399 €1,257

-32.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.72

205.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Karlovac: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Karlovac

$349 28.5% 50.9% $362

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 23.3% $74

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Karlovac

$169 13.9% 14.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Karlovac

$138 11.3% 11.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Karlovac

$245 20.1% 94.4% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Karlovac

$52 4.2% 27.9% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Karlovac

$24 * 2% 4.1% $1

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $478 in Karlovac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlovac pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $44 in Karlovac for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $245 per month, with Karlovac cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇭🇷 Karlovac

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

21:49 9:49 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

41,869

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Karlovac 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Karlovac

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 Karlovac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovac is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $478 in Karlovac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,222 in Karlovac – Karlovac is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,222 in Karlovac versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovac but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.