Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,283 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,283 in Kumamoto.

Mexico City $1,548
Kumamoto $1,283

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,977 in Kumamoto.

Mexico City $2,436
Kumamoto $1,977

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,670 in Kumamoto.

Mexico City $3,323
Kumamoto $2,670

Living in Mexico City is roughly 21% more expensive than in Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Kumamoto is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.13 ¥1,126

54.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.86 ¥5,034

52.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.96 ¥942

82.89%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.22 ¥508

14.29%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.05 ¥166

55.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.70 ¥111

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.74 ¥591

-13.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.26 ¥357

144.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.36 ¥215

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.90 ¥299

58.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$6.64 ¥1,050

-71.08%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.86 ¥294

46.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$17.81 ¥2,814

-33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.47 ¥865

74.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.87 ¥2,981

-23.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.72 ¥587

-18.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.86 ¥294

1.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.78 ¥439

-28.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.36 ¥530

-34.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.16 ¥342

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.61 ¥413

-28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.04 ¥164

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.91 ¥143

39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.94 ¥623

32.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.61 ¥887

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.70 ¥268

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.83 ¥290

130.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.50 ¥236

-77.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$52.5 ¥8,291

-62.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.84 ¥606

-47.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.00 ¥317

-74.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$18.05 ¥2,852

-70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.06 ¥167

43.40%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

0.35%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.6K ¥2.8M

39.52%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$210 ¥33.2K

-70.98%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$24.28 ¥3,835

17.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$33.30 ¥5,261

3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$52.9 ¥8,359

6.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$10.95 ¥1,729

-39.18%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$126 ¥20.0K

237.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$12.4K ¥2.0M

-6.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$48.56 ¥7,672

39.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$25.99 ¥4,106

99.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$65.3 ¥10.3K

62.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$47.20 ¥7,457

138.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$541 ¥85.4K

89.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$328 ¥51.9K

99.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,119 ¥176.8K

106.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$723 ¥114.2K

71.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,158 ¥656.8K

-13.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,735 ¥274.1K

11.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

1.97

473.60%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Kumamoto

$328 25.6% 49.8% $326

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Kumamoto

$312 24.3% 2% $6.4

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Kumamoto

$144 11.2% 29.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 44.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Kumamoto

$268 20.9% 116% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Kumamoto

$75 5.8% 7.3% $5.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Kumamoto

$72 5.6% 182% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $541 in Kumamoto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Kumamoto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $312 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

738,865

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kumamoto 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Kumamoto differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,283 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,924 in Kumamoto 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 $541 in Kumamoto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 167% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $126 in Kumamoto. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,283 in Kumamoto versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.