Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Machakos

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $520 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
Learn more

Machakos Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $520 in Machakos.

Mexico City $1,608
Machakos $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $802 in Machakos.

Mexico City $2,549
Machakos $802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,084 in Machakos.

Mexico City $3,490
Machakos $1,084

Living in Mexico City is roughly 209% more expensive than in Machakos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Machakos is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.99 KES 389

255.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$19.26 KES 2,500

151.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.26 KES 812

65.34%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$1.97 KES 255

87.31%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.66 KES 85.4

153.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.54 KES 69.6

135.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.16 KES 281

47.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.67 KES 346

98.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.39 KES 50.9

341.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$0.48 KES 62.7

533.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.80 KES 104

142.50%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.36 KES 177

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.89 KES 1,413

0.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.36 KES 826

45.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$4.71 KES 612

221.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$1.50 KES 195

103.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$0.81 KES 105

139.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$0.37 KES 47.49

448.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$0.40 KES 51.6

477.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$0.79 KES 102

158.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$0.76 KES 98.6

136.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$0.75 KES 97.6

97.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.39 KES 51.1

225.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.51 KES 455

51.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.31 KES 1,468

42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.91 KES 248

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.70 KES 351

57.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$0.74 KES 96.4

148.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$0.75 KES 97.8

-29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$2.86 KES 371

85.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.50 KES 195

0.67%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$19.1K KES 2.5M

13.77%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$21.7K KES 2.8M

10.40%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$57.0 KES 7,396

10.53%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$7.83 KES 1,017

249.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$11.58 KES 1,503

208.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$38.98 KES 5,060

51.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.66 KES 994

-16.45%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$45.51 KES 5,907

848.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$11.62 KES 1,509

487.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$28.49 KES 3,698

86.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$68.8 KES 8,923

56.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$38.19 KES 4,956

207.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$94.2 KES 12.2K

1082.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$70.4 KES 9,132

909.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$155 KES 20.1K

1572.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$116 KES 15.1K

1108.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$385 KES 50.0K

145.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

14.71

-22.84%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Machakos

$70 13.5% 90.1% $640

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Machakos

$161 31% 49.6% $159

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Machakos

$87 16.8% 56.1% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Machakos

$66 12.7% 57.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Machakos

$76 14.7% 39.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Machakos

$54 10.4% 24.3% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9% 82.3% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $94 in Machakos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Machakos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $161 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Machakos

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

20:36 8:36 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

114,109

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR 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 = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Machakos 14,870 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Machakos

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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $94 in Machakos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 98% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $520 in Machakos – Machakos is about 68% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $520 in Machakos versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 – Machakos wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.