Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Los Banos, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,416 in Los Banos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Los Banos, CA
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Los Banos, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Los Banos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Los Banos, CA

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 Los Banos, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,416 in Los Banos, CA.

Mexico City $1,674
Los Banos, CA $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,466 in Los Banos, CA.

Mexico City $2,606
Los Banos, CA $3,466

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $4,516 in Los Banos, CA.

Mexico City $3,537
Los Banos, CA $4,516

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in Los Banos, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Los Banos, CA 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$14.83 $14.83

-28.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$100 $100

-48.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$9.88 $9.88

8.60%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$5.15 $5.15

-26.21%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.55 $2.55

-36.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.95 $1.95

-37.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$7.83 $7.83

-59.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$8.20 $8.20

-33.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.02 $1.02

68.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.26 $3.26

-8.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$3.04 $3.04

-36.51%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.68 $1.68

64.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$8.29 $8.29

40.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$7.52 $7.52

26.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$12.42 $12.42

23.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.40 $3.40

-8.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.35 $1.35

45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$2.82 $2.82

-29.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.75 $2.75

-14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.86 $2.86

-29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.47 $2.47

-26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$2.28 $2.28

-32.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$2.56 $2.56

-48.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$10.96 $10.96

-51.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$13.86 $13.86

16.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.89 $1.89

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.36 $1.36

219.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$2.02 $2.02

-85.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$52.4 $52.4

-62.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.62 $2.62

-26.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.54 $1.54

-69.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$35.57 $35.57

-84.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.42 $1.42

4.23%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$30.7K $30.7K

-30.42%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$26.7K $26.7K

-11.17%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$217 $217

-71.46%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$44.11 $44.11

-35.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$87.3 $87.3

-60.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$44.88 $44.88

30.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$14.84 $14.84

-55.59%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$2,511 $2,511

-82.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$26.2K $26.2K

-46.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$23.84 $23.84

186.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$22.35 $22.35

145.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$52.0 $52.0

113.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$61.1 $61.1

89.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$1,598 $1,598

-26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,262 $1,262

-38.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,744 $2,744

-6.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,924 $1,924

-26.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,823 $2,823

27.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$2,367 $2,367

-12.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$6,492 $6,492

-84.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.47

75.43%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Los Banos, CA: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Los Banos, CA

$1.3K 52.2% 63.7% $491

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Los Banos, CA

$305 12.6% 5.8% $19

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Los Banos, CA

$284 11.7% 41.4% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Los Banos, CA

$72 3% 54.5% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Los Banos, CA

$349 14.4% 180% $224

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Los Banos, CA

$75 3.1% 4.2% $3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Los Banos, CA

$71 2.9% 184% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,598 in Los Banos, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Banos, CA pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $100 in Los Banos, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $305, with Los Banos, CA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Los Banos, CA

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

2 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

35,972

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Los Banos, CA 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Los Banos, CA

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 Los Banos, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Los Banos, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,598 in Los Banos, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $2,511 in Los Banos, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Los Banos, CA pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Los Banos, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.