Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Leon, Spain

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,489 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Leon
Learn more

Leon Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Leon

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,489 in Leon.

Mexico City $1,608
Leon $1,489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,087 in Leon.

Mexico City $2,549
Leon $2,087

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,686 in Leon.

Mexico City $3,490
Leon $2,686

Living in Mexico City is roughly 8% more expensive than in Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Leon 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$16.90 €15.14

-37.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$41.23 €36.93

17.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.67 €7.77

19.38%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.87 €2.57

28.57%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.52 €2.25

-33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.37 €1.23

-7.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.86 €2.57

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.32 €2.97

59.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.02 €0.92

68.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.33 €1.19

128.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.34 €1.20

44.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.34 €2.99

-13.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.24 €9.17

7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.29 €5.63

47.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$15.51 €13.89

-2.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.38 €2.13

28.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.20 €1.97

-11.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.35 €2.11

-13.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.37 €2.12

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.76 €1.57

15.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.03 €1.82

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.10 €0.99

34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.76 €0.68

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$5.58 €5.00

-5.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$4.93 €4.41

226.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.63 €1.46

21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.88 €1.69

126.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.31 €1.18

-76.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$33.33 €29.85

-40.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.25 €2.02

-18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.20 €1.08

-55.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$35.58 €31.86

-85.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.64 €1.47

-7.93%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$37.3K €33.4K

-41.70%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$31.4K €28.1K

-23.64%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$170 €152

-62.92%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$16.29 €14.59

68.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.33 €26.27

21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$33.87 €30.33

74.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$6.09 €5.46

288.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.75 €7.84

-26.86%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$210 €188

105.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$96.0 €86.0

-28.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$15.67 €14.04

239.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$82.1 €73.5

31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$56.8 €50.9

106.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$845 €756

31.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$588 €527

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$924 €828

179.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$739 €662

90.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,007 €1,797

80.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,573 €1,409

35.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,764 €1,580

-46.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.6

215.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Leon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Leon

$588 39.5% 17.2% $122

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Leon

$242 16.3% 24.3% $78

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Leon

$232 15.6% 16.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Leon

$113 7.6% 27.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Leon

$215 14.5% 70.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Leon

$51 3.5% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Leon

$47 3.2% 84% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $845 in Leon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leon pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $41 in Leon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $242 per month, with Leon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Leon

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

121,281

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Leon 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Leon

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 Leon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,489 in Leon, so Leon is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $845 in Leon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Leon – a meal for two runs $41 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,489 in Leon – Leon is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Leon gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.