Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kisumu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisumu: $644 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kisumu
Learn more

Kisumu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Kisumu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $644 in Kisumu, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Kisumu $644

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $977 in Kisumu, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Kisumu $977

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $1,311 in Kisumu, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Kisumu $1,311

Mexico City costs about 140% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 14% above the global median, while Kisumu is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.65 KES 603

136.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$25.40 KES 3,293

91.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.55 KES 849

66.41%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.57 KES 334

43.19%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.61 KES 79.3

167.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.60 KES 78.2

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.98 KES 257

64.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.78 KES 360

98.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.52 KES 67.5

226.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.52 KES 67.4

480.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.96 KES 254

-2.04%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.69 KES 219

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.51 KES 1,363

11.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.43 KES 834

48.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$5.07 KES 658

184.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.43 KES 444

-11.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$0.94 KES 122

101.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.07 KES 268

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.13 KES 147

93.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.07 KES 138

79.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.96 KES 124

94.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.74 KES 95.9

94.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.73 KES 94.8

73.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.14 KES 407

66.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.68 KES 996

110.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.27 KES 295

-16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.35 KES 305

79.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.80 KES 104

-57.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$23.09 KES 2,994

-14.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.52 KES 197

31.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.50 KES 195

-65.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.88 KES 373

85.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.61 KES 208

-5.59%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$19.7K KES 2.6M

11.99%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

11.88%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$55.8 KES 7,240

9.37%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$15.35 KES 1,990

86.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$34.77 KES 4,508

-0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$23.41 KES 3,036

140.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.91 KES 1,025

-15.80%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$115 KES 14.9K

270.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-5.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$11.77 KES 1,527

476.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$19.06 KES 2,471

172.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$15.63 KES 2,026

578.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$15.63 KES 2,026

620.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$153 KES 19.8K

569.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$138 KES 17.9K

373.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$563 KES 73.0K

310.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$212 KES 27.5K

485.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$756 KES 98.1K

377.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$758 KES 98.3K

27.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

14.71

-23.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kisumu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Kisumu

$138 21.5% 78.9% $516

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Kisumu

$189 29.4% 40.6% $129

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Kisumu

$108 16.8% 47% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Kisumu

$28 4.3% 81.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Kisumu

$106 16.5% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kisumu

$39 6.1% 43.7% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Kisumu

$35 5.5% 37.9% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $153 in Kisumu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Mexico City, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $25.00 in Kisumu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $189 – making Kisumu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Kisumu

🕒 Local time

05:39 5:39 AM

14:39 2:39 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,155,574

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kisumu 14,550 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kisumu

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 Kisumu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 140% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $965 in Kisumu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kisumu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $25.00 in Kisumu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kisumu, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Kisumu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kisumu costs $644 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kisumu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.