Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,974 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Lija
Learn more

Lija Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,974 in Lija, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Lija $1,974

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,101 in Lija, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Lija $3,101

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,228 in Lija, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Lija $4,228

Mexico City is about 19% cheaper than Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Lija sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Lija by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$22.47 €20.14

-52.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$90.7 €81.3

-46.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$13.33 €11.94

-22.36%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.20 €2.87

15.31%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.34 €2.09

-28.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.92 €1.72

-33.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$5.71 €5.12

-44.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.78 €6.07

-21.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.32 €1.18

30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.46 €1.30

108.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.42 €3.06

-43.27%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$4.23 €3.79

-31.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.29 €9.22

6.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$11.83 €10.60

-21.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$18.44 €16.53

-17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.75 €3.36

-18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.80 €2.51

-30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$3.96 €3.55

-48.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.84 €3.44

-39.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.86 €1.66

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$3.36 €3.01

-46.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.21 €1.98

-33.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.49 €1.33

-14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.18 €5.54

-14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$5.85 €5.24

175.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.39 €2.14

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.28 €2.05

86.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.45 €2.19

-87.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.98 €3.56

-53.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.76 €1.58

-69.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$32.80 €29.39

-83.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.52 €1.36

-0.66%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$28.2K €25.2K

-22.73%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$38.9K €34.9K

-38.42%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$157 €141

-59.91%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$31.50 €28.23

-13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$28.99 €25.98

23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$56.7 €50.8

3.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.33 €10.15

-43.51%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$272 €244

58.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$12.3K €11.0K

-7.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$57.7 €51.7

18.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$67.6 €60.6

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$111 €99.4

-2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$131 €118

-10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,205 €1,080

-7.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$830 €744

-14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,528 €1,369

69.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,497 €1,342

-6.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,448 €3,986

-18.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,958 €2,650

-27.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.05

180.25%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lija: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Lija

$830 42.1% 16.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Lija

$341 17.3% 6.9% $22

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Lija

$317 16.1% 59.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Lija

$165 8.4% 6% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Lija

$218 11% 72.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Lija

$79 4% 10.6% $7.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Lija

$23 * 1.1% 11.4% $2.9

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 $1,205 in Lija. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $91 in Lija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $341 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

22:01 10:01 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.06 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Lija 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,974 in Lija – Mexico City comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,961 in Lija. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,205 in Lija. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,974 in Lija. That makes Mexico City about 19% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $272 in Lija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,974 in Lija, 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 $1,974 in Lija. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.