Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Koh Lipe

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,098 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Koh Lipe outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
Learn more

Koh Lipe Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Koh Lipe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,098 in Koh Lipe.

Mexico City $1,548
Koh Lipe $2,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,592 in Koh Lipe.

Mexico City $2,436
Koh Lipe $3,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $5,086 in Koh Lipe.

Mexico City $3,323
Koh Lipe $5,086

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 26% less than in Koh Lipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Koh Lipe 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.97 ฿233

58.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$52.3 ฿1,748

-6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$13.86 ฿463

-21.36%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.54 ฿152

-18.94%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.51 ฿50.5

7.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.74 ฿24.70

68.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.97 ฿133

-18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$6.11 ฿204

-9.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.14 ฿71.6

-20.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.77 ฿59.3

70.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.88 ฿63.0

2.13%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.73 ฿91.4

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$24.27 ฿811

-51.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.17 ฿139

128.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$13.98 ฿467

3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.74 ฿125

-19.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.10 ฿70.1

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.79 ฿93.3

-28.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.62 ฿87.5

-16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.83 ฿61.1

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.67 ฿55.9

11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.38 ฿46.28

4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.68 ฿22.89

86.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.52 ฿185

-5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$22.90 ฿765

-29.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.19 ฿73.3

-13.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.59 ฿120

17.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.44 ฿115

-90.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.46 ฿149

-55.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.59 ฿53.1

-67.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$5.83 ฿195

-8.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.21 ฿74.0

-31.22%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$40.4K ฿1.3M

-45.29%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$40.0K ฿1.3M

-38.79%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$113 ฿3,773

-45.90%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$12.73 ฿425

124.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$20.03 ฿669

72.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$66.6 ฿2,225

-15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$13.60 ฿454

82.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$9.45 ฿316

-29.52%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$696 ฿23.3K

-38.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$14.5K ฿483.5K

-19.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$67.4 ฿2,253

0.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$29.63 ฿990

75.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$102 ฿3,424

3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$92.5 ฿3,090

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,835 ฿61.3K

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,181 ฿39.5K

-44.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$5,300 ฿177.1K

-56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$3,000 ฿100.3K

-58.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$8,628 ฿288.3K

-58.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$6,214 ฿207.7K

-68.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Koh Lipe: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.3% 80.5% $527

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Koh Lipe

$335 16% 5.4% $17

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Koh Lipe

$193 9.2% 5.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Koh Lipe

$131 6.3% 13.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Koh Lipe

$146 6.9% 17.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Koh Lipe

$85 4.1% 22.7% $16

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3% 2.1% $0.6

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,835 in Koh Lipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $52.0 in Koh Lipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $335 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Koh Lipe 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Koh Lipe

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 Koh Lipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Koh Lipe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $3,147 in Koh Lipe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,835 in Koh Lipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $696 in Koh Lipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $52.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,098 in Koh Lipe, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Koh Lipe 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 36% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.