Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lerwick

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,368 in Lerwick, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Lerwick
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Lerwick Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Lerwick

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,368 in Lerwick.

Mexico City $1,548
Lerwick $2,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,415 in Lerwick.

Mexico City $2,436
Lerwick $3,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,462 in Lerwick.

Mexico City $3,323
Lerwick $4,462

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 35% less than in Lerwick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Lerwick 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$20.15 £15.11

-45.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$98.5 £73.9

-50.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.35 £7.76

5.31%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.40 £4.05

-31.85%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.25 £1.69

-27.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.64 £1.23

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$6.45 £4.84

-49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.86 £4.40

-5.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.55 £1.16

9.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.69 £1.27

78.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.21 £1.66

-13.12%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.02 £3.02

-32.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.37 £7.03

25.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.57 £6.43

11.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.44 £10.84

-0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.03 £2.27

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.51 £1.13

25.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.76 £2.07

-27.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.28 £2.46

-33.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.83 £1.37

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.71 £1.28

9.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.26 £0.95

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.55 £1.16

-18.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$24.02 £18.02

-78.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$10.48 £7.86

54.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$3.00 £2.25

-36.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.27 £2.46

29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.07 £2.30

-88.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$83.1 £62.3

-76.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.23 £3.18

-52.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.35 £1.76

-77.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$24.03 £18.03

-77.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.34 £1.75

-35.04%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$38.9K £29.2K

-43.22%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$34.5K £25.9K

-28.89%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$309 £232

-80.27%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$19.33 £14.50

47.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$45.26 £33.95

-23.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$52.8 £39.61

6.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$13.32 £9.99

-50.00%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,392 £1,045

-69.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$24.5K £18.4K

-52.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$88.7 £66.5

-23.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$50.6 £37.93

2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$89.1 £66.8

19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$110 £82.8

1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,112 £834

-7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,036 £777

-36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,395 £1,797

-3.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,523 £1,143

-18.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,646 £3,486

-22.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,438 £2,579

-43.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.09

122.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lerwick: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Lerwick

$1K 43.7% 58.3% $382

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Lerwick

$298 12.6% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Lerwick

$317 13.4% 55.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Lerwick

$152 6.4% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Lerwick

$374 15.8% 201% $250

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Lerwick

$79 3.4% 14% $9.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Lerwick

$111 4.7% 334% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $99.0 in Lerwick. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $298, with Lerwick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Lerwick

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

18:10 6:10 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Lerwick 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Lerwick

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 Lerwick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $3,552 in Lerwick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,112 in Lerwick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $2,368 in Lerwick – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 323% less than in Lerwick. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,368 in Lerwick, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Lerwick. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Lerwick, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Lerwick are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Lerwick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.