Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Lyon

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,050 in Lyon, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Lyon
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Lyon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Lyon

🇫🇷 France

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,050 in Lyon, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Lyon $2,050

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,182 in Lyon, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Lyon $3,182

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $4,315 in Lyon, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Lyon $4,315

Mexico City is about 22% cheaper than Lyon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Lyon sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Lyon by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$16.86 €15.10

-37.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$67.5 €60.5

-28.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$13.67 €12.25

-24.29%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$4.12 €3.69

-10.44%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.76 €2.47

-39.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.65 €1.48

-23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$7.60 €6.80

-58.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$6.08 €5.44

-12.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.57 €1.41

9.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.72 €1.54

76.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.45 €2.20

-20.82%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$4.74 €4.25

-39.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$22.95 €20.55

-52.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$12.21 €10.93

-24.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$22.99 €20.59

-34.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$2.41 €2.16

26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.51 €2.24

-22.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.43 €3.07

-40.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$3.19 €2.85

-27.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.50 €2.24

-18.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.94 €2.64

-38.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.41 €1.27

4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.07 €0.96

18.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$13.89 €12.44

-61.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.77 €6.96

107.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.66 €2.38

-25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$3.25 €2.91

30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.42 €2.16

-87.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$82.3 €73.7

-76.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$8.39 €7.52

-78.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$2.20 €1.97

-75.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$41.20 €36.89

-87.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$2.21 €1.98

-31.67%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$34.4K €30.8K

-36.74%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$37.6K €33.6K

-36.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$268 €240

-76.48%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$14.01 €12.55

95.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.09 €26.06

22.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$36.88 €33.03

59.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$28.38 €25.41

-16.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$15.33 €13.73

-58.25%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$628 €563

-31.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$11.2K €10.0K

2.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$108 €96.5

-36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$43.36 €38.84

22.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$122 €109

-11.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$127 €114

-7.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$891 €798

25.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$702 €629

1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,879 €1,683

37.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,369 €1,226

2.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$6,425 €5,755

-43.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$4,317 €3,866

-50.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,069 €2,748

-69.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.68

208.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lyon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Lyon

$702 34.3% 1.2% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Lyon

$385 18.8% 20.3% $65

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Lyon

$293 14.3% 47.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Lyon

$180 8.8% 15.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Lyon

$311 15.2% 147% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Lyon

$68 3.3% 5.9% $4.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Lyon

$111 5.4% 337% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $891 in Lyon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lyon are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $68 in Lyon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $385 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇫🇷 Lyon

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

522,250

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 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 Lyon 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Lyon

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 Lyon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lyon costs about 27% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,075 in Lyon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lyon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $891 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,050 in Lyon. That makes Mexico City about 22% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 76% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,050 in Lyon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,608 versus $2,050 in Lyon. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lyon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.