Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,476 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
Learn more

Kawasaki Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,476 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Kawasaki $1,476

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,239 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Kawasaki $2,239

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,003 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Kawasaki $3,003

Mexico City costs about 9% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Kawasaki sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Kawasaki by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.43 ¥1,172

42.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$37.97 ¥5,988

27.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.99 ¥786

107.41%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.59 ¥408

42.47%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.57 ¥248

6.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.91 ¥144

39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.23 ¥509

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.13 ¥493

69.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.51 ¥238

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.56 ¥246

94.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$4.21 ¥664

-53.92%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.15 ¥339

34.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.44 ¥1,804

-4.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.72 ¥1,059

37.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$16.41 ¥2,588

-7.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$6.02 ¥950

-49.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.85 ¥450

-31.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$4.99 ¥786

-59.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$5.18 ¥817

-55.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$3.40 ¥536

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$3.09 ¥487

-41.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.19 ¥188

24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.78 ¥122

62.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.97 ¥625

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.29 ¥1,464

73.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.39 ¥377

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.65 ¥418

60.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.92 ¥303

-83.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$50.5 ¥7,956

-60.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.10 ¥489

-40.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$3.20 ¥505

-83.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$18.58 ¥2,929

-71.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.07 ¥169

41.12%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$22.1K ¥3.5M

-1.64%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

56.21%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$129 ¥20.3K

-51.00%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$23.08 ¥3,639

18.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$31.16 ¥4,913

14.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$55.8 ¥8,799

5.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$6.47 ¥1,020

265.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.62 ¥1,991

-49.29%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$695 ¥109.6K

-37.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-23.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$51.2 ¥8,073

33.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$33.12 ¥5,222

60.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$66.4 ¥10.5K

62.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$70.4 ¥11.1K

66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$771 ¥121.6K

44.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$565 ¥89.1K

25.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,281 ¥201.9K

102.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,006 ¥158.7K

39.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,670 ¥736.4K

-22.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,220 ¥507.8K

-33.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,608 ¥411.2K

-63.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.02

461.88%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kawasaki: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kawasaki

$565 38.3% 20.5% $146

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kawasaki

$333 22.5% 4.1% $13

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kawasaki

$138 9.3% 30.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kawasaki

$99 6.7% 36.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kawasaki

$183 12.4% 45% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kawasaki

$81 5.5% 13% $9.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kawasaki

$77 5.2% 204% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $771 in Kawasaki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kawasaki are about 2.8 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $38 in Kawasaki. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $333 in Kawasaki – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,538,262

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kawasaki 11,320 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kawasaki

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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 9% more than Kawasaki, 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 $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,214 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawasaki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $771 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $38 in Kawasaki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,476 in Kawasaki. That makes Kawasaki about 8% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,476 in Kawasaki. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kawasaki costs $1,476 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.