Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $30,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,086
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,561 per month in Mexico City vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,561
  • London $4,086

A couple spends around $2,440 per month in Mexico City vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,440
  • London $5,816

A family of three spends $3,319 per month in Mexico City vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,319
  • London $7,546

Mexico City is about 62% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mexico City and London sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, London by 205%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.12 MX$204
$26.62 £20.11
-58.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.99 MX$900
$108 £81.3
-54.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 MX$206
$10.39 £7.85
8.08%
Cappuccino
$3.76 MX$69.0
$5.79 £4.38
-35.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.34
$3.01 £2.27
-45.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.48
$2.15 £1.63
-40.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.26 MX$59.8
$9.35 £7.06
-65.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.66 MX$104
$7.84 £5.93
-27.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 MX$33.23
$1.79 £1.35
1.12%
White Bread (500g)
$2.94 MX$54.0
$2.06 £1.56
42.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 MX$37.62
$2.31 £1.74
-11.26%
Eggs
$2.93 MX$53.7
$5.05 £3.82
-41.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.95 MX$219
$12.57 £9.50
-4.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.51 MX$175
$10.66 £8.05
-10.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.84 MX$273
$17.13 £12.94
-13.37%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 MX$57.7
$3.03 £2.29
3.63%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 MX$36.99
$1.41 £1.07
42.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 MX$38.10
$3.05 £2.31
-31.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$40.72
$3.38 £2.56
-34.32%
Potato (1kg)
$2.06 MX$37.82
$1.67 £1.26
23.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 MX$34.46
$1.73 £1.31
8.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.18
$1.41 £1.07
4.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 MX$24.70
$1.79 £1.35
-24.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$23.22 £17.55
-76.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.86 MX$310
$12.99 £9.82
29.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.43
$3.18 £2.40
-37.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.32 MX$79.4
$4.41 £3.33
-2.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 MX$6.33
$3.87 £2.93
-91.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.23 MX$371
$250 £189
-91.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.10 MX$38.47
$5.71 £4.31
-63.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.74
$3.33 £2.51
-84.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$99.3
$57.9 £43.76
-90.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$27.91
$2.04 £1.54
-25.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.7K MX$399.0K
$37.5K £28.4K
-42.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K MX$455.6K
$40.9K £30.9K
-39.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,156
$376 £284
-83.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 MX$530
$17.88 £13.51
61.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.93 MX$623
$40.01 £30.24
-15.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 MX$1,024
$61.2 £46.22
-8.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.90 MX$457
$21.07 £15.93
18.18%
Cinema Ticket
$6.77 MX$124
$17.95 £13.57
-62.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$428 MX$7,854
$2,865 £2,165
-85.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K MX$218.0K
$35.3K £26.7K
-66.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.0 MX$1,286
$116 £87.7
-39.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.7 MX$986
$54.1 £40.87
-0.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 MX$2,016
$127 £95.7
-13.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 MX$2,115
$159 £120
-27.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,062 MX$19.5K
$2,853 £2,156
-62.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$671 MX$12.3K
$2,301 £1,739
-70.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,379 MX$43.7K
$5,201 £3,931
-54.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 MX$23.1K
$3,723 £2,813
-66.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,716 MX$68.2K
$19.0K £14.4K
-80.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,976 MX$36.3K
$7,881 £5,955
-74.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$997 MX$18.3K
$4,818 £3,641
-79.31%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
4.65
143.01%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$671
London
$2.3K 243% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$327
London
$349 6.9% $23
Eating Out
Mexico City
$207
London
$397 91.6% $190
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$157
London
$205 30.8% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
London
$434 245% $308
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$69
London
$97 40% $28
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
London
$288 993% $262

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,062 in Mexico City versus $2,853 in London. 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 383% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $349 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
04:41 4:41 AM
11:41 11:41 AM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City London 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Mexico City and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City, $4,086 in London – roughly 162% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,341 per month in Mexico City and $6,129 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Mexico City and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 7% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $108 in London. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,561, than in London at $4,086. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and London?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,561 in Mexico City to $4,086 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Mexico City and London?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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