Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Madrid

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,265 in Madrid.

Mexico City $1,548
Madrid $2,265

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,311 in Madrid.

Mexico City $2,436
Madrid $3,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,356 in Madrid.

Mexico City $3,323
Madrid $4,356

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 32% less than in Madrid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Madrid 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$18.06 €16.06

-38.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$66.5 €59.2

-26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.40 €10.14

-4.39%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.03 €2.69

21.45%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.25 €2.89

-49.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.32 €2.07

-46.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.85 €3.42

-15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.82 €4.29

14.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.32 €1.18

28.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.61 €1.43

87.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.75 €1.56

9.71%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.06 €3.61

-32.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$16.34 €14.54

-27.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.61 €8.55

-0.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.43 €15.50

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.63 €2.34

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.18 €1.93

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.50 €2.22

-20.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.60 €2.32

-15.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.25 €2.01

-14.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.08 €1.85

-10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.56 €1.39

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.08 €0.96

17.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.70 €5.96

-22.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.82 €6.95

106.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.22 €1.08

55.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.25 €2.00

87.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.63 €1.45

-79.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$37.72 €33.56

-47.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.81 €3.39

-47.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.49 €1.33

-65.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$29.99 €26.68

-82.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.79 €1.59

-15.08%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$33.7K €29.9K

-34.39%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$33.3K €29.6K

-26.30%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$190 €169

-67.91%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$17.57 €15.63

62.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$35.34 €31.43

-2.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$49.52 €44.04

13.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.20 €16.19

36.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.09 €9.87

-39.95%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$684 €609

-37.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$18.2K €16.2K

-36.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$87.8 €78.1

-22.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$42.06 €37.41

23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$111 €98.3

-4.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$113 €100

-0.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,509 €1,342

-32.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,162 €1,034

-43.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,804 €2,494

-17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,867 €1,661

-33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$9,017 €8,021

-59.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$4,294 €3,819

-54.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$2,495 €2,219

-61.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.14

259.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3% 77.7% $508

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Madrid

$308 13.6% 3.3% $11

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Madrid

$266 11.8% 30.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Madrid

$159 7% 4.4% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Madrid

$243 10.7% 95.9% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Madrid

$72 3.2% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Madrid

$56 2.5% 117% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,509 in Madrid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 159% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $66.0 in Madrid. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $308, with Madrid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Madrid

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

05:18 5:18 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,332,035 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Madrid 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Madrid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Madrid. 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 159% lower in Madrid. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,509 in Madrid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Madrid pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,548 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Madrid are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.