Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kiambu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kiambu
Learn more

Kiambu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kiambu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $503 in Kiambu.

Mexico City $1,608
Kiambu $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $823 in Kiambu.

Mexico City $2,549
Kiambu $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,143 in Kiambu.

Mexico City $3,490
Kiambu $1,143

Living in Mexico City is roughly 219% more expensive than in Kiambu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kiambu is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$6.41 KES 833

65.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$34.12 KES 4,431

41.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.52 KES 847

58.74%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.60 KES 337

41.92%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.64 KES 83.4

160.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.62 KES 81.1

104.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.26 KES 293

41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.62 KES 340

102.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.54 KES 70.8

218.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.55 KES 71.5

452.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.83 KES 237

6.01%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.37 KES 179

110.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$10.71 KES 1,391

2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.67 KES 866

38.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$4.01 KES 520

277.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.50 KES 455

-12.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.04 KES 135

86.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.75 KES 97.0

170.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.59 KES 77.1

291.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.72 KES 93.7

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.71 KES 92.5

153.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.30 KES 38.52

393.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.37 KES 47.84

243.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.39 KES 440

56.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.49 KES 1,493

40.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.27 KES 295

-12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.70 KES 350

57.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.63 KES 81.3

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.51 KES 196

21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.36 KES 47.33

47.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.81 KES 365

88.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.60 KES 208

-5.63%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

13.20%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

11.01%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$56.4 KES 7,320

11.73%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$7.86 KES 1,020

248.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$35.13 KES 4,562

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.82 KES 755

9.97%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$280 KES 36.4K

54.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$12.5K KES 1.6M

-8.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$27.56 KES 3,579

147.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$29.19 KES 3,791

82.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$70.1 KES 9,109

53.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$57.5 KES 7,466

103.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$116 KES 15.0K

862.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,175 KES 152.6K

208.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$125 KES 16.3K

654.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

14.71

-22.84%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kiambu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kiambu

$180 35.8% 43.7% $140

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kiambu

$124 24.6% 37.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kiambu

$83 16.5% 46.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kiambu

$99 19.7% 21.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kiambu

$12 * 2.3% 83.8% $60

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kiambu

$5.8 * 1.2% 77.1% $20

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 $116 in Kiambu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $34 in Kiambu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $180 per month, with Kiambu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Kiambu

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

147,870

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kiambu 14,810 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kiambu

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 Kiambu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiambu is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 7.5 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 $116 in Kiambu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $280 in Kiambu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kiambu – a meal for two runs $34 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $503 in Kiambu versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kiambu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kiambu 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kiambu wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.