Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,009 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Makhachkala
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,009
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,009 in Makhachkala, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • Makhachkala $1,009

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $1,562 in Makhachkala, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • Makhachkala $1,562

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $2,115 in Makhachkala, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • Makhachkala $2,115

Mexico City costs about 55% more than Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 16% above the global median, while Makhachkala is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$10.20 ₽851
5.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$31.73 ₽2,648
58.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$5.48 ₽457
102.55%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$2.65 ₽221
38.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$1.17 ₽98.0
41.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$0.61 ₽51.1
113.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$1.94 ₽162
71.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$2.94 ₽246
88.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$1.10 ₽91.6
60.91%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$0.71 ₽58.9
329.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$1.41 ₽118
42.55%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$1.53 ₽127
81.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$10.99 ₽917
8.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$5.39 ₽450
73.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$11.03 ₽921
36.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$1.70 ₽142
81.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$1.75 ₽146
11.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$1.75 ₽146
16.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$2.78 ₽232
-20.50%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$0.81 ₽67.4
149.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$0.61 ₽51.1
198.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.23 ₽103
23.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$0.74 ₽61.8
72.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$3.33 ₽278
58.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$7.92 ₽661
103.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$1.10 ₽91.4
77.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$2.02 ₽168
110.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$0.54 ₽44.80
-42.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$2.70 ₽225
-25.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
$0.40 ₽33.48
32.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$5.71 ₽477
-1.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$0.84 ₽70.2
80.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$41.0K ₽3.4M
-48.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$37.4K ₽3.1M
-32.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$110 ₽9,172
-43.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$5.49 ₽458
424.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$8.44 ₽705
308.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$35.62 ₽2,973
60.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
$23.57 ₽1,967
5.26%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$6.13 ₽512
8.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$348 ₽29.1K
23.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
$5,288 ₽441.3K
122.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$80.1 ₽6,688
-11.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$54.1 ₽4,518
-4.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$102 ₽8,539
6.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$112 ₽9,353
0.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$460 ₽38.4K
128.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$315 ₽26.3K
111.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$891 ₽74.4K
163.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$556 ₽46.4K
120.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$2,226 ₽185.8K
59.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$1,492 ₽124.5K
32.51%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Makhachkala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$622 ₽51.9K
56.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
21.45
-47.32%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
Makhachkala
$315 52.6% $350
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
Makhachkala
$206 36.3% $117
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
Makhachkala
$153 24.8% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
Makhachkala
$157 1.4% $2.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Makhachkala
$124 1.5% $1.9
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Makhachkala
$48 32% $23
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Makhachkala
$6.9 * 73.4% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $460 in Makhachkala. 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 57% higher in Mexico City, 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 $50.0 in Mexico City versus $32.00 in Makhachkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $206 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇷🇺 Makhachkala
🕒 Local time
02:42 2:42 AM
11:42 11:42 AM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
604,266
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Makhachkala 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Makhachkala cheaper than Mexico City?
Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $1,513 in Makhachkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Mexico City and in Makhachkala?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $1,009 in Makhachkala. That's a gap of about 55%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Mexico City and $348 in Makhachkala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Mexico City or in Makhachkala?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Mexico City or Makhachkala more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Makhachkala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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