Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,368 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
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Maldonado Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,368 in Maldonado.

Mexico City $1,548
Maldonado $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,178 in Maldonado.

Mexico City $2,436
Maldonado $2,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,988 in Maldonado.

Mexico City $3,323
Maldonado $2,988

Living in Mexico City is roughly 13% more expensive than in Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Maldonado 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$14.87 UYU 597

-25.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$54.9 UYU 2,202

-11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$13.91 UYU 558

-21.64%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.57 UYU 183

-19.47%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.65 UYU 106

-38.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.10 UYU 84.2

-40.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.95 UYU 118

10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.62 UYU 145

52.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.13 UYU 45.19

50.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.70 UYU 109

11.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.77 UYU 71.1

8.47%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.98 UYU 160

-31.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$14.11 UYU 566

-16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.31 UYU 454

-15.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$11.61 UYU 466

24.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.79 UYU 112

8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.14 UYU 86.0

-11.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.75 UYU 70.2

13.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.15 UYU 126

-30.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.00 UYU 80.2

-4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-6.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.43 UYU 57.4

0.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.95 UYU 78.3

-34.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.51 UYU 221

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.13 UYU 326

98.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.32 UYU 93.3

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.71 UYU 109

55.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.41 UYU 56.8

-75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$48.89 UYU 1,962

-59.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.40 UYU 136

-41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.44 UYU 17.53

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.25 UYU 411

-47.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.24 UYU 89.9

-32.14%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

-17.09%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

-33.72%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$116 UYU 4,644

-47.22%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$19.18 UYU 770

49.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$45.04 UYU 1,808

-23.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$48.23 UYU 1,936

16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$30.20 UYU 1,212

-17.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$12.05 UYU 484

-44.73%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$496 UYU 19.9K

-13.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,515 UYU 261.5K

78.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$90.3 UYU 3,625

-24.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$37.34 UYU 1,498

39.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$125 UYU 5,014

-15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$118 UYU 4,729

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$426 UYU 17.1K

140.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$315 UYU 12.7K

107.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$919 UYU 36.9K

151.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$601 UYU 24.1K

106.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,803 UYU 112.5K

28.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,541 UYU 61.8K

25.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,014 UYU 40.7K

-4.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

126.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Maldonado

$315 23.1% 51.8% $339

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Maldonado

$317 23.2% 0.4% $1.2

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Maldonado

$257 18.8% 25.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Maldonado

$167 12.2% 9.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Maldonado

$180 13.2% 45% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 3.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Maldonado

$60 4.4% 135% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $426 in Maldonado. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Maldonado pays 5% 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 $55.0 in Maldonado. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $317, with Maldonado cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

62,592

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Maldonado 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Maldonado differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,368 including rent). Maldonado is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Maldonado. 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 $426 in Maldonado. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $496 in Maldonado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,368 in Maldonado versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Maldonado but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Maldonado 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Maldonado 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 Maldonado gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.