Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
Learn more

Kirkwall Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,121 in Kirkwall.

Mexico City $1,548
Kirkwall $2,121

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,026 in Kirkwall.

Mexico City $2,436
Kirkwall $3,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,931 in Kirkwall.

Mexico City $3,323
Kirkwall $3,931

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 27% less than in Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Kirkwall 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$23.63 £17.73

-53.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$94.8 £71.1

-48.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.57 £7.93

3.12%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.92 £2.94

-6.12%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.26 £2.44

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.31 £0.98

-4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$6.20 £4.65

-47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$8.47 £6.36

-34.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.79 £0.59

115.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.58 £1.19

91.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.05 £1.54

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.22 £2.42

-15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$6.59 £4.95

78.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.97 £6.73

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$15.90 £11.92

-9.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.20 £1.65

37.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.97 £1.48

-4.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.57 £1.18

26.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.32 £0.99

65.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.11 £0.83

72.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.09 £0.82

71.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.77 £0.58

87.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.08 £0.81

17.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$20.10 £15.08

-74.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.18 £6.89

76.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.71 £2.03

-29.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.88 £2.16

46.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$10.51 £7.89

-96.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$107 £80.4

-81.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.19 £3.90

-61.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.58 £1.93

-79.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$27.06 £20.30

-80.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.05 £1.54

-25.85%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$37.8K £28.4K

-41.67%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-40.44%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$282 £212

-78.38%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$30.12 £22.60

-5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$33.04 £24.79

4.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$41.73 £31.31

35.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.46 £8.60

-41.88%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,237 £928

-65.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$91.5 £68.7

-25.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$43.72 £32.80

18.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$95.0 £71.3

11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$138 £103

-18.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$935 £701

9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$792 £594

-17.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,182 £887

95.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$966 £725

28.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,914 £1,436

-49.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.07

122.88%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 21% $138

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 20.8% $66

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 63.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 8.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 179% $222

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 7.2% $5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 553% $142

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $935 in Kirkwall. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kirkwall pays 98% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $95.0 in Kirkwall. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $252, with Kirkwall cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kirkwall 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Kirkwall differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,121 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Kirkwall. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $935 in Kirkwall. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $2,121 in Kirkwall – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,121 in Kirkwall, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Kirkwall. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Kirkwall are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Kirkwall. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.