Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Male

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Male: $1,567 and $1,530 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,530 in Male.

Mexico City $1,567
Male $1,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,451 in Male.

Mexico City $2,450
Male $2,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,373 in Male.

Mexico City $3,333
Male $3,373

Living in Mexico City is roughly 2% more expensive than in Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Male 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$5.82 MVR 89.7

84.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$39.04 MVR 602

28.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$9.84 MVR 152

12.80%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 MVR 74.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.51 MVR 54.1

4.84%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.67 MVR 25.69

-1.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.31 MVR 4.80

319.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.99 MVR 30.68

-11.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.69 MVR 26.08

80.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.25 MVR 19.33

60.80%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.88 MVR 29.07

47.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$10.61 MVR 164

12.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$6.16 MVR 95.0

51.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$9.56 MVR 147

57.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-22.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.98 MVR 45.98

-34.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.03 MVR 62.1

-49.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.73 MVR 42.16

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.08 MVR 32.01

-2.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.87 MVR 28.77

-2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.12 MVR 32.73

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.59 MVR 9.09

116.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.47 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MVR 29.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$15.18 MVR 234

-65.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.67 MVR 10.26

-53.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$30.32 MVR 467

-34.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$1.99 MVR 30.69

0.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.98 MVR 30.55

-73.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$10.20 MVR 157

-44.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.98 MVR 15.19

55.10%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$32.1K MVR 495.0K

-34.49%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$29.2K MVR 451.0K

-13.91%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$119 MVR 1,829

-47.31%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$30.12 MVR 465

-4.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$73.9 MVR 1,140

-53.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$71.4 MVR 1,100

-19.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$33.67 MVR 519

-26.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$9.76 MVR 150

-31.66%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$181 MVR 2,797

137.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$3,056 MVR 47.1K

284.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$39.52 MVR 609

79.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$49.45 MVR 763

4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$85.8 MVR 1,323

26.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$52.6 MVR 812

113.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$938 MVR 14.5K

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$709 MVR 10.9K

-6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,012 MVR 31.0K

16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,570 MVR 24.2K

-21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,213 MVR 34.1K

60.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,385 MVR 21.4K

42.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$842 MVR 13.0K

15.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-19.29%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Male

$709 46.4% 6.7% $44

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Male

$234 15.3% 27.6% $89

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Male

$126 8.2% 37.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Male

$102 6.7% 33.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Male

$223 14.6% 77.1% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Male

$91 5.9% 29% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Male

$45 2.9% 74% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $938 in Male. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 16% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $39.00 in Male for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $234 per month, with Male cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

05:36 5:36 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Male 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $938 in Male. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $1,530 in Male – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Male runs roughly 53% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,530 in Male versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Male but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Male the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Male is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Male 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 Male gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.