Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kone

For one person, living is cheaper in Kone: $450 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kone

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $450 in Kone.

Mexico City $1,608
Kone $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $673 in Kone.

Mexico City $2,549
Kone $673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $897 in Kone.

Mexico City $3,490
Kone $897

Living in Mexico City is roughly 258% more expensive than in Kone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Kone is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$52.3 CFPF 5,556

-7.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.49 CFPF 158

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$17.16 CFPF 1,824

-69.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$14.79 CFPF 1,573

8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$169 CFPF 18.0K

-62.75%

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

$27.39 MX$515

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$95.3 CFPF 10.1K

-62.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$56.2 CFPF 5,971

4.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,111

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$110 CFPF 11.7K

-38.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$71.2 CFPF 7,568

51.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$562 CFPF 59.8K

98.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,499 CFPF 159.3K

72.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,902 CFPF 308.5K

-67.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kone

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kone

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kone

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kone

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kone

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kone

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kone

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $562 in Kone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kone pays about 3.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $52 in Kone. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $47, with Kone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇨 Kone

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

13:34 1:34 PM

17 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Kone 11,370 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kone

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 Kone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kone wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $562 in Kone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $450 in Kone – Kone is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 574% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $450 in Kone versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Kone but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kone 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.