Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and La Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in La Marsa: $766 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in La Marsa
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La Marsa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

La Marsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in La Marsa

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $766 in La Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
La Marsa $766

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,280 in La Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
La Marsa $1,280

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,794 in La Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
La Marsa $1,794

Mexico City costs about 110% more than La Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while La Marsa is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.40 TND 10.22

212.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$19.63 TND 59.0

146.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.18 TND 15.56

99.81%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.25 TND 3.76

195.20%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.59 TND 1.77

183.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.28 TND 0.85

353.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.46 TND 4.39

118.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.95 TND 5.85

172.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.49 TND 1.48

251.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.29 TND 0.86

948.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.23 TND 6.70

-13.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.77 TND 5.32

63.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.90 TND 29.73

10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.62 TND 19.89

39.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.02 TND 39.11

16.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.95 TND 5.85

56.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.60 TND 10.83

-46.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.43 TND 4.28

41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.67 TND 2.01

244.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.58 TND 1.76

251.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.67 TND 2.00

168.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.43 TND 1.31

244.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.28 TND 0.83

353.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.56 TND 10.69

48.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.50 TND 19.54

147.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.25 TND 3.76

58.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.59 TND 4.78

167.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.32 TND 0.95

-3.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$7.22 TND 21.68

173.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.31 TND 0.94

493.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.46 TND 1.38

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$3.89 TND 11.69

36.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.86 TND 2.58

75.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$40.0K TND 120.1K

-45.59%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$37.0K TND 111.1K

-35.16%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$33.34 TND 100

88.90%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$12.23 TND 36.74

123.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$18.21 TND 54.7

95.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$42.01 TND 126

40.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$7.14 TND 21.44

231.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.30 TND 15.92

20.75%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$57.5 TND 173

650.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,532 TND 7,606

351.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$63.6 TND 191

7.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$70.5 TND 212

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$88.7 TND 266

21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$91.2 TND 274

28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$288 TND 865

286.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$229 TND 687

210.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$710 TND 2,134

264.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$564 TND 1,693

149.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,658 TND 4,980

119.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,162 TND 3,491

83.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$333 TND 1,001

184.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-18.93%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for La Marsa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

La Marsa

$229 29.8% 67.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

La Marsa

$197 25.7% 38.5% $123

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

La Marsa

$72 9.5% 63.5% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

La Marsa

$141 18.4% 9.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

La Marsa

$64 8.3% 49.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

La Marsa

$53 6.9% 26.7% $19

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

La Marsa

$11 1.5% 56.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $288 in La Marsa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $20 in La Marsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $197 – making La Marsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇳 La Marsa

🕒 Local time

19:59 7:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

92,987

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City La Marsa 10,330 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
La Marsa

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 La Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,150 in La Marsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Marsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $766 in La Marsa. That makes La Marsa about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 63% less in La Marsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Marsa, where all-in costs run around $766, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In La Marsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward La Marsa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with La Marsa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.