Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,871 in Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Marsa $2,871

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,976 in Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Marsa $3,976

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $5,081 in Marsa, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Marsa $5,081

Mexico City is about 44% cheaper than Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Marsa sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Marsa by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$19.41 €17.31

-45.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$85.2 €76.0

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$13.67 €12.19

-24.29%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.69 €2.40

37.17%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$2.28 €2.04

-26.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$2.27 €2.02

-44.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$4.58 €4.08

-30.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.53 €2.25

109.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.36 €1.21

26.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.29 €1.15

135.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$4.22 €3.76

-54.03%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$4.33 €3.87

-33.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.43 €7.52

30.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$10.25 €9.14

-9.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$18.47 €16.48

-18.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$4.27 €3.81

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.69 €2.40

-27.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$3.55 €3.17

-42.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$3.27 €2.92

-29.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$2.25 €2.01

-9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.87 €1.67

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$2.27 €2.02

-34.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.31 €1.17

-3.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$6.85 €6.11

-22.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.36 €7.46

92.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.63 €1.46

21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.33 €2.08

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$5.75 €5.13

-68.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$2.29 €2.04

-76.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$26.56 €23.69

-80.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.47 €1.31

2.72%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$37.4K €33.3K

-41.80%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$38.4K €34.2K

-37.46%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$103 €92.2

-39.08%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$24.97 €22.28

9.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$42.87 €38.25

-16.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.19 €9.09

-37.19%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$372 €332

15.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$11.2K €9,953

2.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$86.1 €76.8

-20.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$39.89 €35.59

33.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$101 €90.4

6.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$77.4 €69.1

51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$2,481 €2,213

-55.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,925 €1,718

-63.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$2,271 €2,026

13.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$2,758 €2,460

-49.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$3,229 €2,881

-70.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.9

291.38%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Marsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1% 171% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Marsa

$326 11.3% 1.9% $6

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Marsa

$275 9.6% 38.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Marsa

$137 4.8% 12% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Marsa

$171 6% 35.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Marsa

$20 * 0.7% 71.6% $51

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Marsa

$17 * 0.6% 32.5% $8.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $2,481 in Marsa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Marsa are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $85 in Marsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $326 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇹 Marsa

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Marsa 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Marsa

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 Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $4,307 in Marsa. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,113 there versus $2,481 in Marsa.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $85 in Marsa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $372 in Marsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $2,871 in Marsa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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