Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $627 in La Romana, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
La Romana $627

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,011 in La Romana, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
La Romana $1,011

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,395 in La Romana, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
La Romana $1,395

Mexico City costs about 167% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while La Romana is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$8.32 DOP 503

27.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$41.07 DOP 2,483

26.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$6.93 DOP 419

54.83%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.82 DOP 110

108.79%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.72 DOP 43.69

123.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.32 DOP 19.33

278.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.38 DOP 144

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.84 DOP 232

41.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.07 DOP 64.8

60.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.78 DOP 108

66.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.53 DOP 92.4

26.14%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.48 DOP 89.3

87.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$6.36 DOP 384

83.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.47 DOP 210

173.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$4.75 DOP 287

223.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$3.74 DOP 226

-17.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.38 DOP 83.3

42.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$3.34 DOP 202

-40.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$2.17 DOP 131

7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$3.51 DOP 212

-42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$2.95 DOP 179

-38.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.94 DOP 56.6

63.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.60 DOP 96.6

-18.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$4.69 DOP 284

14.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$16.13 DOP 975

0.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$3.01 DOP 182

-34.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.33 DOP 201

30.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.41 DOP 146

-20.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$3.34 DOP 202

-85.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.37 DOP 83.1

8.03%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$14.5K DOP 878.5K

47.09%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

-6.06%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$92.3 DOP 5,582

-32.85%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$9.95 DOP 602

186.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$38.80 DOP 2,346

-12.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$4.93 DOP 298

33.67%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$145 DOP 8,779

199.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$5,443 DOP 329.1K

157.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$25.87 DOP 1,564

164.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$45.03 DOP 2,723

21.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$60.9 DOP 3,681

82.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$65.0 DOP 3,932

78.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.18%

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 Romana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

La Romana

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

La Romana

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

La Romana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

La Romana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

La Romana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

La Romana

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

La Romana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $41 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $236 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

567,431

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.78 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City La Romana 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
La Romana

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 Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 167%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $941 in La Romana. 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 $627 in La Romana. That makes La Romana about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $145 in La Romana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In La Romana 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 $627 in La Romana to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.