Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $558 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
27

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $558 in La Merced, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
La Merced $558

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $910 in La Merced, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
La Merced $910

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,263 in La Merced, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
La Merced $1,263

Mexico City costs about 200% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while La Merced is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$4.38 PEN 15.10

141.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$34.86 PEN 120

49.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.01 PEN 24.19

53.07%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$3.18 PEN 10.97

19.50%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.08 PEN 3.72

49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.65 PEN 2.24

86.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.57 PEN 8.86

23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.29 PEN 14.81

26.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.58 PEN 5.44

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.07 PEN 7.15

43.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.28 PEN 4.43

50.78%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.35 PEN 8.11

17.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$7.33 PEN 25.29

59.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.78 PEN 19.94

64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.68 PEN 29.94

77.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$0.92 PEN 3.17

236.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$0.45 PEN 1.56

335.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$0.30 PEN 1.04

560.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$0.71 PEN 2.46

229.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.28 PEN 0.96

621.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.45 PEN 1.55

304.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.60 PEN 2.07

156.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.87 PEN 3.01

50.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.63 PEN 19.42

-4.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$7.33 PEN 25.30

120.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.90 PEN 6.56

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.08 PEN 10.61

41.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$3.43 PEN 11.84

-44.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$2.07 PEN 7.14

-77.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$7.64 PEN 26.37

-29.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.64 PEN 5.65

-9.76%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$21.7K PEN 75.0K

-1.73%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$28.9K PEN 99.8K

-17.91%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$66.7 PEN 230

-6.99%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.80 PEN 54.5

80.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$27.06 PEN 93.4

26.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.14 PEN 24.63

-7.70%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$318 PEN 1,096

36.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$12.7K PEN 43.6K

10.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$53.3 PEN 184

28.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$35.12 PEN 121

56.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$83.7 PEN 289

32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$79.1 PEN 273

46.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.78

29.27%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

La Merced

$185 33.1% 42.8% $139

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

La Merced

$123 22% 38.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

La Merced

$113 20.3% 28.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

La Merced

$110 19.6% 12.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

La Merced

$14 * 2.6% 80% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 44.9% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $35 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $185 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 PEN = 0.29 USD

1 PEN = 0.258 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.88 PEN (1 PEN = 0.258 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City La Merced 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
La Merced

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 Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 200% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $837 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $558 in La Merced. That makes La Merced about 67% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $318 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $558, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $558 in La Merced to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.