Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,290 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,290

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,290 in Kyoto, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Kyoto $1,290

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,932 in Kyoto, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Kyoto $1,932

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,574 in Kyoto, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Kyoto $2,574

Mexico City costs about 25% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Kyoto is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$9.77 ¥1,543

8.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$32.34 ¥5,109

49.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.11 ¥808

102.54%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$3.22 ¥508

14.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$0.89 ¥141

87.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$0.71 ¥112

78.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$3.22 ¥509

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$5.85 ¥924

-9.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.55 ¥245

10.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$1.61 ¥254

88.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$5.84 ¥923

-66.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.11 ¥333

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.84 ¥1,396

24.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$7.92 ¥1,252

16.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$10.70 ¥1,691

41.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$5.19 ¥820

-41.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$2.37 ¥375

-18.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$5.15 ¥814

-60.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$3.69 ¥583

-37.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.87 ¥295

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$1.66 ¥262

8.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$1.14 ¥180

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$0.94 ¥148

35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$4.04 ¥639

31.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$7.73 ¥1,222

108.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$1.61 ¥255

22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.37 ¥532

26.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$1.42 ¥225

-78.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$62.1 ¥9,810

-68.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$3.30 ¥521

-44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$3.88 ¥612

-86.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.10 ¥174

37.27%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

-4.24%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

54.83%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$101 ¥16.0K

-37.74%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$23.51 ¥3,714

16.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$30.41 ¥4,804

17.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$51.6 ¥8,150

14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$18.87 ¥2,982

25.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.72 ¥2,168

-53.35%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$718 ¥113.4K

-39.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$6,490 ¥1.0M

76.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$56.7 ¥8,962

20.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$45.07 ¥7,121

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$70.3 ¥11.1K

53.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$102 ¥16.2K

14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$638 ¥100.7K

74.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$379 ¥59.9K

87.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$1,176 ¥185.7K

120.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$577 ¥91.2K

143.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$4,226 ¥667.6K

-14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$2,921 ¥461.5K

-26.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,873 ¥295.8K

-49.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.23

408.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Kyoto

$379 29.4% 46.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Kyoto

$296 22.9% 7.4% $24

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Kyoto

$166 12.9% 16.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Kyoto

$123 9.6% 20.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Kyoto

$155 12% 23% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Kyoto

$79 6.1% 10.2% $7.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Kyoto

$90 7% 255% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $638 in Kyoto. 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 98% higher in Kyoto, 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 $32 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $296 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

04:02 4:02 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,475,183

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Kyoto 11,640 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kyoto

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 Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,290 in Kyoto – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,934 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $638 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $32 in Kyoto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,290 in Kyoto, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kyoto costs $1,290 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.