Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Las Cruces, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Las Cruces, NM
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Las Cruces, NM Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Las Cruces, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Las Cruces, NM $2,078

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,034 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Las Cruces, NM $3,034

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,991 in Las Cruces, NM, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Las Cruces, NM $3,991

Mexico City is about 23% cheaper than Las Cruces, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Las Cruces, NM sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Las Cruces, NM by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$17.17 $17.17

-38.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$44.89 $44.89

7.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$11.92 $11.92

-13.17%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$5.78 $5.78

-36.16%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.38 $2.38

-29.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$2.15 $2.15

-40.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$6.49 $6.49

-50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$9.13 $9.13

-41.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.84 $0.84

104.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.48 $3.48

-12.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.57 $3.57

-45.66%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$4.63 $4.63

-37.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.25 $13.25

-17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$12.14 $12.14

-23.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$17.48 $17.48

-13.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.23 $4.23

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.04 $2.04

-4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$3.46 $3.46

-41.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.93 $3.93

-41.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.23 $2.23

-8.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.37 $2.37

-24.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.81 $1.81

-18.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.91 $1.91

-33.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$10.79 $10.79

-50.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$15.29 $15.29

5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.44 $2.44

-18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.51 $3.51

21.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.36 $2.36

-22.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$2.39 $2.39

-77.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.97 $0.97

55.67%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$27.6K $27.6K

-21.22%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$24.7K $24.7K

-2.75%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$174 $174

-63.79%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$58.3 $58.3

-52.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$89.7 $89.7

-60.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$43.53 $43.53

35.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.77 $10.77

119.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.05 $10.05

-36.32%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$672 $672

-35.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$59.9 $59.9

13.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$31.94 $31.94

66.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$83.6 $83.6

28.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$103 $103

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$883 $883

26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$854 $854

-16.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,562 $1,562

65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,431 $1,431

-1.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,260 $2,260

60.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,875 $1,875

13.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,507 $3,507

-73.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.36

78.46%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Las Cruces, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Las Cruces, NM

$854 41.1% 20.2% $144

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Las Cruces, NM

$387 18.6% 21.2% $68

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Las Cruces, NM

$311 15% 56.7% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Las Cruces, NM

$125 6% 19.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Las Cruces, NM

$322 15.5% 155% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Las Cruces, NM

$64 3.1% 11.3% $8.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Las Cruces, NM

$14 * 0.7% 43.9% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $883 in Las Cruces, NM. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Las Cruces, NM are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $45 in Las Cruces, NM. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $387 in Las Cruces, NM – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Las Cruces, NM

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

111,385

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Las Cruces, NM 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Cruces, NM costs about 29% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,117 in Las Cruces, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Las Cruces, NM, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $883 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $45 in Las Cruces, NM. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Las Cruces, NM, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,078 in Las Cruces, NM. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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