Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 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 Kataragama
Learn more

Kataragama Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Kataragama $1,140

Mexico City costs about 230% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.87 LKR 1,286

173.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$24.70 LKR 8,214

110.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.34 LKR 2,440

46.19%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$2.43 LKR 807

56.38%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.67 LKR 224

140.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.27 LKR 90.8

348.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.23 LKR 742

42.60%

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

$1.57 LKR 522

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.56 LKR 187

430.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$0.76 LKR 253

153.95%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.63 LKR 544

69.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$15.08 LKR 5,015

-22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$4.89 LKR 1,627

93.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.66 LKR 2,547

100.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$6.54 LKR 2,174

-52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$0.83 LKR 276

136.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$4.08 LKR 1,358

-51.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.31 LKR 437

78.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.08 LKR 360

87.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.83 LKR 276

119.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.24 LKR 414

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.45 LKR 150

191.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$10.29 LKR 3,422

-48.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.61 LKR 4,527

18.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.96 LKR 652

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.94 LKR 978

47.96%

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

$0.40 LKR 134

380.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.31 LKR 103

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$0.86 LKR 285

529.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.34 LKR 445

10.45%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

-50.94%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-47.95%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

9.06%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$4.15 LKR 1,380

586.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$20.61 LKR 6,857

65.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$4.50 LKR 1,495

46.44%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

993.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

-19.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$18.27 LKR 6,076

274.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$17.51 LKR 5,825

212.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

42.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

177.55%

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 Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Kataragama

$242 47.7% 25.1% $81

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Kataragama

$103 20.3% 48.6% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Kataragama

$70 13.8% 55.7% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Kataragama

$82 16.1% 34.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 87.4% $63

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Kataragama

$2 * 0.4% 92.2% $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 Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

21:21 9:21 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

20,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kataragama 17,140 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 230% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $762 in Kataragama. 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 $508 in Kataragama. That makes Kataragama about 70% cheaper.

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

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Kataragama 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 $508 in Kataragama to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.