Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kitakyushu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kitakyushu: $1,250 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Kitakyushu, Japan
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Kitakyushu
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,250
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,250 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Kitakyushu $1,250

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,923 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Kitakyushu $1,923

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,596 in Kitakyushu, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Kitakyushu $2,596

Mexico City costs about 29% more than Kitakyushu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Kitakyushu is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$199
$7.03 ¥1,110
51.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$906
$32.97 ¥5,206
46.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$5.43 ¥857
90.61%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.2
$3.40 ¥537
8.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.23
$1.06 ¥167
57.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.71
$0.70 ¥111
81.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.8
$3.04 ¥479
4.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.5
$2.18 ¥344
143.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.32
$1.42 ¥225
21.13%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.0
$1.28 ¥202
137.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.38
$5.29 ¥835
-63.33%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.1
$2.20 ¥348
31.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$9.42 ¥1,487
16.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$173
$5.25 ¥830
76.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$283
$18.86 ¥2,978
-19.78%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.1
$3.59 ¥567
-15.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.38
$1.88 ¥297
3.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.95
$2.79 ¥441
-27.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.38
$2.87 ¥454
-19.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.14
$2.23 ¥352
-8.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.73
$2.64 ¥418
-31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.72
$1.05 ¥165
40.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.75
$0.99 ¥156
28.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.4
$4.05 ¥640
30.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$302
$6.23 ¥984
158.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.16
$1.64 ¥259
20.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.7
$1.72 ¥271
147.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.72
$1.62 ¥256
-80.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$370
$56.8 ¥8,964
-65.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.44
$3.98 ¥628
-53.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.00
$2.04 ¥323
-74.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.2
$17.83 ¥2,815
-70.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.31
$1.05 ¥165
43.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$407.7K
$20.3K ¥3.2M
7.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$449.5K
$15.4K ¥2.4M
55.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,180
$196 ¥31.0K
-67.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$513
$25.10 ¥3,965
9.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$668
$32.21 ¥5,087
10.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,105
$52.1 ¥8,233
13.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$443
$3.22 ¥509
634.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$12.65 ¥1,998
-49.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,088
$379 ¥59.8K
14.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.1K
$12.3K ¥1.9M
-7.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,278
$48.55 ¥7,668
40.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$996
$26.37 ¥4,164
101.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,020
$67.0 ¥10.6K
60.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,198
$55.7 ¥8,798
110.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$555 ¥87.7K
100.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.3K
$338 ¥53.3K
110.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.5K
$1,005 ¥158.7K
157.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.3K
$715 ¥113.0K
96.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.0K
$4,304 ¥679.8K
-15.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.0K
$2,319 ¥366.2K
-7.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Kitakyushu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.7K
$1,533 ¥242.2K
-38.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
1.69
571.60%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kitakyushu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Kitakyushu
$338 52.5% $373
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Kitakyushu
$275 14% $45
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Kitakyushu
$140 29.6% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Kitakyushu
$89 42.9% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Kitakyushu
$254 101% $128
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Kitakyushu
$77 7.9% $5.7
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Kitakyushu
$77 204% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $555 in Kitakyushu. 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 62% higher in Kitakyushu, 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 $33 in Kitakyushu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $275 – making Kitakyushu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇯🇵 Kitakyushu
🕒 Local time
08:29 8:29 AM
23:29 11:29 PM
15 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
939,029
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Kitakyushu 12,070 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Kitakyushu

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 Kitakyushu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in Kitakyushu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,250 in Kitakyushu – Kitakyushu comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Kitakyushu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,875 in Kitakyushu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mexico City and Kitakyushu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kitakyushu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $555 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 16% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $33 in Kitakyushu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Mexico City compared to Kitakyushu?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,250 in Kitakyushu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Kitakyushu?
It depends on your priorities. Kitakyushu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,250 in Kitakyushu to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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