Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Maia $3,254

Mexico City is about 29% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Maia sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Maia by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$11.42 €10.16

-3.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$50.0 €44.49

-2.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.88 €7.90

22.75%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.00 €1.78

84.00%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.93 €1.71

-15.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.23 €1.98

45.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.01 €3.57

37.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.10 €0.98

54.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.69 €1.50

78.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.53 €1.37

25.49%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.89 €2.57

-5.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$13.29 €11.82

-11.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.93 €7.05

20.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.73 €13.10

-2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.23 €1.98

35.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.74 €1.55

8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.07 €1.84

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.33 €2.07

-6.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.22 €1.97

-13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.19 €1.95

-14.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.93 €0.82

54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.10 €0.98

15.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.62 €5.89

-21.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.61 €4.10

250.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.31 €1.17

45.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.46 €2.19

71.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.47 €2.20

-86.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$44.74 €39.80

-56.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.55 €4.04

-56.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.44 €1.28

-63.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$16.93 €15.06

-68.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.10 €1.87

-27.62%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$32.3K €28.7K

-31.56%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$38.5K €34.2K

-36.30%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$106 €94.3

-42.41%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$20.07 €17.85

42.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$38.05 €33.84

-9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$44.89 €39.93

25.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$34.01 €30.25

-26.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.65 €7.70

-23.01%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$439 €390

-2.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,437 €5,726

80.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$111 €98.9

-39.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$22.04 €19.60

135.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$75.9 €67.5

39.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$106 €94.0

6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,072 €953

-4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,313 €1,168

-50.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,706 €1,518

35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,242 €1,105

-0.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,036 €2,701

18.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,673 €1,488

15.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,420 €1,263

-32.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.7

205.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 101% $659

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Maia

$259 11.9% 18.5% $59

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Maia

$175 8% 14.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Maia

$142 6.5% 7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Maia

$164 7.5% 32.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Maia

$62 2.9% 10.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Maia

$66 3% 159% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,072 in Maia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 47% higher in Maia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $50.0 in Maia. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Mexico City vs $259 in Maia – so Maia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

01:53 1:53 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

134,988

💱 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 Maia 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 41% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $3,273 in Maia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City and $50.0 in Maia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Mexico City and $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 41%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Maia at $2,182. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,548 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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