Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mahé

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,773 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,773 in Mahé.

Mexico City $1,548
Mahé $1,773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,601 in Mahé.

Mexico City $2,436
Mahé $2,601

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,429 in Mahé.

Mexico City $3,323
Mahé $3,429

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Mahé 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.59 SCR 255

-37.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$106 SCR 1,546

-54.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.73 SCR 83.2

90.23%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$6.59 SCR 95.7

-44.16%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.65 SCR 24.00

-1.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$13.03 SCR 189

-75.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$9.09 SCR 132

-39.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.56 SCR 22.72

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.13 SCR 16.46

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.86 SCR 27.04

3.23%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.11 SCR 59.7

-33.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$15.85 SCR 230

-25.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.18 SCR 119

16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.63 SCR 183

14.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.11 SCR 30.59

43.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.29 SCR 33.30

-13.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$6.54 SCR 95.0

-66.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.09 SCR 15.82

76.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.09 SCR 15.84

71.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.04 SCR 15.14

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$14.54 SCR 211

-64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.20 SCR 31.96

91.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.75 SCR 10.83

-54.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$35.49 SCR 515

-44.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$14.42 SCR 210

-62.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.53 SCR 22.17

-0.65%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$50.0 SCR 727

22.09%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$21.17 SCR 307

35.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$108 SCR 1,574

-68.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$53.1 SCR 772

6.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.50 SCR 94.5

2.46%

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

$427 MX$7,891

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$30.20 SCR 439

124.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$12.25 SCR 178

324.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$48.21 SCR 700

119.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$61.2 SCR 889

83.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$853 SCR 12.4K

20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$850 SCR 12.3K

-23.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,757 SCR 25.5K

31.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,083 SCR 15.7K

14.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$857 SCR 12.4K

12.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mahé: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Mahé

$850 47.9% 29.9% $196

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Mahé

$244 * 13.7% 23.4% $75

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Mahé

$327 * 18.4% 60.4% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Mahé

$68 3.9% 55.1% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Mahé

$180 10.1% 44.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Mahé

$66 3.7% 5.1% $3.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Mahé

$38 * 2.2% 50.1% $13

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $853 in Mahé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $106 in Mahé. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $244, with Mahé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇨 Mahé

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

07:18 7:18 AM

10 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

78,539

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 SCR = 6.88 USD

100 SCR = 6.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SCR, USD, EUR 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).

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 14.52 SCR (100 SCR = 6.88 USD). 1 EUR = 16.33 SCR (100 SCR = 6.12 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Mahé 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Mahé

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 Mahé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Mahé. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $853 in Mahé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mahé pay roughly 31% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $1,773 in Mahé – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,773 in Mahé, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Mahé. 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 Mahé 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 15% less than in Mahé. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.