Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Leon, Mexico

For one person, living is cheaper in Leon: $1,191 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Leon
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Leon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Leon

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,191

/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.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,191 in Leon, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Leon $1,191

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,930 in Leon, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Leon $1,930

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,669 in Leon, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Leon $2,669

Mexico City costs about 35% more than Leon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Leon is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.96 MX$204

-3.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$53.8 MX$1,003

-10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.66 MX$161

19.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.01 MX$74.8

-7.98%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.55 MX$28.88

7.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.23 MX$22.85

3.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.92 MX$54.4

9.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.86 MX$71.9

37.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.75 MX$32.57

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.72 MX$50.7

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.72 MX$32.01

12.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.27 MX$60.9

-11.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.81 MX$127

61.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.52 MX$140

23.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.83 MX$202

39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.37 MX$44.23

28.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.37 MX$25.47

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.78 MX$33.27

14.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.44 MX$26.83

60.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.97 MX$36.63

3.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.07 MX$38.64

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.33 MX$24.85

11.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.73 MX$13.58

73.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$6.71 MX$125

-21.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$13.26 MX$247

21.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.33 MX$43.41

-15.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.58 MX$66.8

18.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.78 MX$14.55

-60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$37.94 MX$707

-48.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.72 MX$50.8

-32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.62 MX$48.85

-79.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$14.76 MX$275

-64.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.40 MX$26.06

7.86%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$24.5K MX$457.4K

-11.35%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$23.3K MX$433.6K

3.11%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$21.19 MX$395

197.22%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$39.64 MX$739

-30.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$57.5 MX$1,072

-38.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$36.72 MX$685

60.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$33.64 MX$627

-29.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.48 MX$121

-1.23%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$178 MX$3,320

142.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$3,783 MX$70.5K

201.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$55.6 MX$1,036

22.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$65.2 MX$1,215

-18.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$97.5 MX$1,818

10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$116 MX$2,163

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$525 MX$9,783

112.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$362 MX$6,746

96.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$771 MX$14.4K

235.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$678 MX$12.6K

107.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$528 MX$9,838

79.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.6

-2.16%

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 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Leon

$362 30.4% 49.1% $349

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Leon

$259 21.7% 19% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Leon

$195 16.4% 1.7% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Leon

$150 12.6% 3.5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Leon

$118 9.9% 6.1% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Leon

$50 4.2% 30.7% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Leon

$57 4.8% 123% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $525 in Leon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 79% higher in Mexico City. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $54 in Leon. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $259 in Leon – so Leon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Leon

🕒 Local time

15:20 3:20 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,579,803

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Mexico City
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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

Mexico City costs about 35% more than Leon, 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 $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,787 in Leon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Leon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $525 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $54 in Leon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,191 in Leon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Leon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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