Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kota

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota: $340 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Kota
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Kota Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Kota

🇮🇳 India

$340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $340 in Kota.

Mexico City $1,674
Kota $340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $550 in Kota.

Mexico City $2,606
Kota $550

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $759 in Kota.

Mexico City $3,537
Kota $759

Living in Mexico City is roughly 392% more expensive than in Kota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Kota is 75% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$2.17 ₹205

388.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$8.42 ₹795

517.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$2.67 ₹252

301.87%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$0.65 ₹61.3

484.62%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.35 ₹33.40

360.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.16 ₹14.93

656.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$1.56 ₹147

103.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.24 ₹306

67.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$0.63 ₹59.5

173.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$0.41 ₹38.75

624.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.63 ₹59.9

206.35%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$0.84 ₹79.3

229.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$4.54 ₹429

157.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$2.66 ₹251

256.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$1.55 ₹146

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$0.49 ₹46.38

300.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$0.72 ₹68.2

175.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$0.43 ₹41.02

444.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$0.33 ₹31.11

512.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$0.41 ₹38.39

343.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.31 ₹29.04

396.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.30 ₹28.48

336.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$4.24 ₹401

26.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$7.62 ₹720

112.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$1.56 ₹147

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$1.95 ₹184

123.08%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.95 ₹468

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.51 ₹48.41

-41.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$26.85 ₹2,536

-27.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$0.33 ₹31.23

481.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$0.22 ₹20.80

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$1.09 ₹103

396.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.13 ₹106

30.97%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

86.15%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$17.5K ₹1.6M

36.05%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$12.99 ₹1,227

377.21%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$2.63 ₹248

982.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$6.24 ₹589

446.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$10.55 ₹996

453.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$4.14 ₹391

491.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$3.14 ₹296

109.87%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$34.38 ₹3,247

1163.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$658 ₹62.2K

2032.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$21.97 ₹2,075

211.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$33.08 ₹3,125

65.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$34.88 ₹3,295

217.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$21.43 ₹2,024

441.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$130 ₹12.3K

804.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$79.2 ₹7,483

873.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$269 ₹25.4K

855.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$188 ₹17.7K

655.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$572 ₹54.1K

526.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$343 ₹32.4K

501.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$243 ₹22.9K

313.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.5

51.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Kota

$79 23.3% 89.7% $692

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Kota

$93 27.2% 71.4% $231

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Kota

$49 14.5% 75.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Kota

$50 14.7% 68.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Kota

$22 6.4% 82.5% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Kota

$17 4.9% 76.5% $55

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Kota

$30 8.9% 21.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $130 in Kota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.1 times 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $8 in Kota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $93 per month, with Kota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇳 Kota

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

21:13 9:13 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,001,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kota 15,030 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kota

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 Kota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $340 in Kota, so Kota is about 80% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $130 in Kota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 250% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kota – a meal for two runs $8 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $340 in Kota versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kota but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kota 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kota wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.