Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Masaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $823 in Masaya, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Masaya $823

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,283 in Masaya, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Masaya $1,283

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,744 in Masaya, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Masaya $1,744

Mexico City costs about 95% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Masaya is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$9.92 NIO 363

7.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$34.43 NIO 1,261

40.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.73 NIO 283

33.89%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.54 NIO 93.0

45.28%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.91 NIO 33.22

83.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.73 NIO 26.84

73.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.53 NIO 56.0

108.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.28 NIO 83.6

132.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.22 NIO 44.66

40.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.40 NIO 87.8

26.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.80 NIO 65.8

7.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.38 NIO 87.3

21.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.43 NIO 419

-4.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.35 NIO 233

45.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.68 NIO 281

97.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.95 NIO 145

-22.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.57 NIO 21.03

240.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.84 NIO 67.3

10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.51 NIO 92.0

-7.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$3.91 NIO 143

-47.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.24 NIO 82.0

-19.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.09 NIO 39.98

35.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.06 NIO 38.67

19.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.80 NIO 103

89.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$14.85 NIO 544

8.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.46 NIO 53.5

35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.18 NIO 79.8

94.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.60 NIO 58.7

15.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.59 NIO 58.2

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$6.85 NIO 251

-22.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.38 NIO 50.5

9.42%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

-4.25%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

-9.12%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$154 NIO 5,654

-59.20%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$19.83 NIO 726

38.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$31.97 NIO 1,171

11.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$9.06 NIO 332

-29.36%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$240 NIO 8,800

79.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

90.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$59.7 NIO 2,184

14.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$64.7 NIO 2,369

-17.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$123 NIO 4,504

-12.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$147 NIO 5,379

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.92

-4.78%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Masaya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Masaya

$260 31.6% 18.7% $60

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Masaya

$152 18.5% 23.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Masaya

$177 21.6% 13.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Masaya

$206 25.1% 63.6% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Masaya

$18 * 2.2% 74.7% $54

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2% 62.5% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $34 in Masaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $260 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇮 Masaya

🕒 Local time

16:20 4:20 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

178,835

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Masaya 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Masaya

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 Masaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,234 in Masaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $34 in Masaya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.