Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Luqa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,845 in Luqa, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
Learn more

Luqa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,845 in Luqa.

Mexico City $1,608
Luqa $1,845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,902 in Luqa.

Mexico City $2,549
Luqa $2,902

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,960 in Luqa.

Mexico City $3,490
Luqa $3,960

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 13% less than in Luqa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Luqa 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$19.96 €17.81

-46.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$99.9 €89.1

-51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.81 €9.65

-4.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.40 €3.03

8.53%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$2.89 €2.58

-42.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$1.97 €1.76

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$4.54 €4.05

-29.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$4.27 €3.81

24.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.14 €1.02

50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.16 €1.03

162.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$3.17 €2.83

-38.80%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.93 €3.51

-26.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.31 €11.87

-17.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$9.92 €8.85

-6.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$15.81 €14.10

-4.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$2.74 €2.44

11.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.97 €1.76

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.99 €2.66

-32.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$3.72 €3.32

-37.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.79 €1.60

13.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.97 €1.76

-8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.93 €1.72

-23.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.89 €0.80

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.84 €6.10

-22.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.17 €6.40

124.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.50 €1.34

32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.25 €2.00

88.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$2.19 €1.95

-85.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$14.44 €12.89

36.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$4.52 €4.03

-59.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.64 €1.46

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$39.01 €34.81

-86.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.46 €1.30

3.42%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$24.9K €22.2K

-12.72%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$39.5K €35.2K

-39.22%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$74.9 €66.8

-15.87%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$35.83 €31.96

-23.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$33.44 €29.83

6.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$53.2 €47.49

10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$55.2 €49.23

-57.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.10 €9.91

-42.34%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$611 €545

-29.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$13.6K €12.1K

-16.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$145 €129

-52.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$55.0 €49.04

-3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$85.1 €76.0

26.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$135 €121

-13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$811 €724

37.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$819 €731

-13.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,284 €1,146

101.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$1,298 €1,158

8.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$2,945 €2,627

23.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$3,120 €2,784

-31.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,456 €1,299

-35.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.22

252.48%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Luqa

$819 44.4% 15.2% $108

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Luqa

$299 16.2% 6.6% $21

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Luqa

$284 15.4% 42.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Luqa

$189 10.2% 21.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Luqa

$144 7.8% 14.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Luqa

$75 4.1% 5.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Luqa

$36 2% 41% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $811 in Luqa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luqa pays 54% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $100 in Luqa. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $299, with Luqa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇹 Luqa

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,900

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Luqa 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Luqa

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 Luqa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Luqa. 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 35% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $811 in Luqa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,845 in Luqa – Mexico City is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Luqa runs roughly 27% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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, Luqa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.