Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,075 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
Learn more

Kawagoe Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,075 in Kawagoe.

Mexico City $1,608
Kawagoe $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,744 in Kawagoe.

Mexico City $2,549
Kawagoe $1,744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,413 in Kawagoe.

Mexico City $3,490
Kawagoe $2,413

Living in Mexico City is roughly 50% more expensive than in Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kawagoe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$6.33 ¥1,000

67.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$41.23 ¥6,507

17.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.95 ¥782

109.09%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.50 ¥552

5.43%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.92 ¥145

81.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.52 ¥82.6

144.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.91 ¥301

67.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.74 ¥432

93.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.15 ¥182

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.28 ¥202

137.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$3.67 ¥579

-47.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.08 ¥328

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$6.34 ¥1,001

73.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.90 ¥932

56.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$14.16 ¥2,236

6.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.82 ¥918

-47.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.34 ¥369

-17.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.88 ¥455

-29.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$3.12 ¥492

-25.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.54 ¥401

-19.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.85 ¥292

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.27 ¥201

16.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.76 ¥120

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.83 ¥604

38.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$4.65 ¥734

246.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.81 ¥286

9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.03 ¥320

109.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$2.97 ¥469

-89.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$52.8 ¥8,338

-62.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$3.11 ¥491

-40.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.63 ¥415

-79.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$20.31 ¥3,205

-73.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.06 ¥168

42.45%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$15.6K ¥2.5M

39.29%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

86.83%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$133 ¥21.0K

-52.63%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$22.18 ¥3,500

23.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$31.10 ¥4,909

14.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$43.19 ¥6,817

36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$30.97 ¥4,888

-23.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$10.95 ¥1,729

-41.55%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$320 ¥50.6K

34.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$6,292 ¥993.1K

81.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$31.66 ¥4,997

115.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$33.72 ¥5,323

57.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$43.55 ¥6,874

147.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$93.2 ¥14.7K

25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$407 ¥64.2K

173.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$267 ¥42.1K

166.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$862 ¥136.1K

200.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$605 ¥95.5K

132.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,474 ¥390.5K

46.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,772 ¥279.6K

20.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,597 ¥252.0K

-40.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

1.6

609.38%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kawagoe

$267 24.8% 62.5% $444

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kawagoe

$257 23.9% 19.7% $63

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kawagoe

$128 11.9% 35.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kawagoe

$91 8.5% 41.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kawagoe

$186 17.3% 47.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kawagoe

$65 6.1% 9.3% $6.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kawagoe

$81 7.5% 218% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $407 in Kawagoe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kawagoe pays 69% 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 $41 in Kawagoe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $257 per month, with Kawagoe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

17:22 5:22 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

350,745

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Kawagoe 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kawagoe

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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,075 in Kawagoe, so Kawagoe is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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 $407 in Kawagoe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kawagoe – a meal for two runs $41 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 $1,075 in Kawagoe – Kawagoe is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kawagoe gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.