Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kathmandu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kathmandu: $488 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kathmandu
Learn more

Kathmandu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kathmandu

🇳🇵 Nepal

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $488 in Kathmandu.

Mexico City $1,608
Kathmandu $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $783 in Kathmandu.

Mexico City $2,549
Kathmandu $783

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,077 in Kathmandu.

Mexico City $3,490
Kathmandu $1,077

Living in Mexico City is roughly 229% more expensive than in Kathmandu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kathmandu is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$1.92 NPR 292

453.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$20.72 NPR 3,154

133.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.02 NPR 1,068

47.44%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.56 NPR 237

136.54%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.51 NPR 78.4

227.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.14 NPR 20.92

807.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.11 NPR 473

2.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.32 NPR 505

59.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.77 NPR 118

123.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.62 NPR 94.1

390.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.92 NPR 140

110.87%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.74 NPR 265

66.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.51 NPR 1,144

46.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.10 NPR 472

198.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$5.99 NPR 911

152.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.08 NPR 317

46.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.19 NPR 182

63.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.44 NPR 220

40.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.59 NPR 89.5

291.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.39 NPR 59.0

423.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.54 NPR 82.0

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.49 NPR 75.0

202.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.22 NPR 33.28

477.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.46 NPR 374

115.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.97 NPR 1,212

102.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.30 NPR 350

-13.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.02 NPR 459

40.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.17 NPR 26.33

82.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$9.75 NPR 1,485

102.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.79 NPR 273

2.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.16 NPR 176

-54.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$3.33 NPR 507

59.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.39 NPR 211

8.63%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$35.7K NPR 5.4M

-39.08%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$35.9K NPR 5.5M

-33.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$31.31 NPR 4,765

101.15%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$3.58 NPR 546

665.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$9.30 NPR 1,415

283.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$24.50 NPR 3,729

140.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$6.97 NPR 1,061

239.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$2.94 NPR 447

117.69%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$66.9 NPR 10.2K

545.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$5,521 NPR 840.2K

106.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$23.85 NPR 3,630

186.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$26.77 NPR 4,074

98.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$62.6 NPR 9,534

72.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$29.36 NPR 4,469

299.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$217 NPR 33.0K

413.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$104 NPR 15.9K

580.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$432 NPR 65.7K

499.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$200 NPR 30.5K

602.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,336 NPR 355.5K

55.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,330 NPR 202.4K

60.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$268 NPR 40.7K

253.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.98

13.73%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kathmandu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kathmandu

$104 21.4% 85.3% $606

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kathmandu

$147 30.2% 54% $172

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kathmandu

$80 16.4% 59.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kathmandu

$64 13.2% 58.8% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kathmandu

$44 9.1% 64.9% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kathmandu

$30 6.2% 57.7% $41

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kathmandu

$18 3.7% 29.2% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $217 in Kathmandu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $21 in Kathmandu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $147 per month, with Kathmandu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇵 Kathmandu

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

01:44 1:44 AM

11 h 45 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

975,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.57 USD). 1 EUR = 169 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kathmandu 14,750 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Kathmandu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kathmandu wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kathmandu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.5 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 $217 in Kathmandu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kathmandu – a meal for two runs $21 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $488 in Kathmandu – Kathmandu is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $488 in Kathmandu versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Kathmandu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kathmandu 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.

Expats usually find Kathmandu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.