Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $3,516 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $3,516 in Lachen.

Mexico City $1,674
Lachen $3,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $5,284 in Lachen.

Mexico City $2,606
Lachen $5,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $7,052 in Lachen.

Mexico City $3,537
Lachen $7,052

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 52% less than in Lachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Lachen 160% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$33.64 CHF 27.46

-68.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$124 CHF 101

-58.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$16.24 CHF 13.26

-33.93%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$6.30 CHF 5.15

-39.68%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$5.67 CHF 4.63

-71.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$5.08 CHF 4.15

-76.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$8.64 CHF 7.05

-63.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$9.61 CHF 7.85

-43.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.18 CHF 1.78

-21.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.42 CHF 2.79

-13.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$4.43 CHF 3.61

-56.43%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$7.62 CHF 6.22

-63.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$26.92 CHF 21.98

-56.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$26.45 CHF 21.60

-64.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$40.42 CHF 33.00

-61.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.64 CHF 2.97

-14.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-5.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.71 CHF 2.21

-26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-50.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.98 CHF 1.62

2.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.20 CHF 1.80

-17.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$2.45 CHF 2.00

-37.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.42 CHF 1.16

-7.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$10.83 CHF 8.84

-50.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.20 CHF 10.78

22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.48 CHF 2.84

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$4.23 CHF 3.46

-92.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$86.3 CHF 70.5

-77.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$8.19 CHF 6.69

-76.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$4.75 CHF 3.88

-90.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$87.0 CHF 71.1

-93.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-35.09%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-46.70%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$39.0K CHF 31.9K

-39.13%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$240 CHF 196

-74.14%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$31.91 CHF 26.05

-10.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$65.5 CHF 53.4

-47.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$85.2 CHF 69.6

-31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$48.54 CHF 39.63

-49.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$21.89 CHF 17.87

-69.89%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$2,982 CHF 2,434

-85.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$37.3K CHF 30.5K

-62.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$142 CHF 116

-51.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$89.7 CHF 73.2

-38.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$147 CHF 120

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$175 CHF 143

-33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$1,855 CHF 1,515

-36.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,578 CHF 1,289

-51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,967 CHF 2,422

-13.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$2,518 CHF 2,056

-43.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$14.9K CHF 12.2K

-75.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$11.1K CHF 9,072

-81.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$9,845 CHF 8,038

-89.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

1.72

559.88%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lachen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Lachen

$1.6K 44.9% 105% $807

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Lachen

$589 16.7% 81.9% $265

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Lachen

$499 14.2% 149% $298

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Lachen

$249 7.1% 58.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Lachen

$337 9.6% 171% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Lachen

$129 3.7% 80.3% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Lachen

$135 3.9% 441% $110

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,855 in Lachen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays about 9.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $124 in Lachen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $589 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

10:48 10:48 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.816 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.917 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Lachen 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Lachen

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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Lachen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,855 in Lachen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 77% less than in Lachen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $2,982 in Lachen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,674 in Mexico City versus $3,516 in Lachen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Lachen. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Lachen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.