Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mazatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,392 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,392 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Mazatlan $1,392

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,002 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Mazatlan $2,002

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,612 in Mazatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Mazatlan $2,612

Mexico City costs about 15% more than Mazatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Mazatlan sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Mazatlan by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.56 MX$197

0.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$45.04 MX$840

7.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.26 MX$154

25.30%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.34 MX$62.3

10.48%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.41 MX$26.36

18.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.07 MX$19.91

18.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.98 MX$36.91

61.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.63 MX$48.96

101.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.61 MX$30.01

6.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.49 MX$46.49

22.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.34 MX$25.05

44.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.65 MX$49.46

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.85 MX$146

39.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.78 MX$126

36.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.75 MX$145

95.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.66 MX$49.63

14.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.58 MX$29.52

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.60 MX$29.74

26.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.46 MX$8.58

402.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.64 MX$30.62

24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.30 MX$24.29

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.48 MX$27.61

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.94 MX$73.5

34.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.55 MX$290

3.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.05 MX$38.30

-3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.13 MX$58.4

35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.73 MX$13.54

-57.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$39.65 MX$739

-50.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$3.46 MX$64.5

-46.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.38 MX$44.46

-77.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.46 MX$27.28

3.42%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$21.1K MX$393.7K

2.99%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$24.0K MX$446.5K

0.14%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$57.5 MX$1,072

9.55%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$45.40 MX$846

-39.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$41.54 MX$774

-14.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$42.74 MX$797

37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.44 MX$82.7

44.14%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$87.0 MX$1,622

395.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$1,967 MX$36.7K

480.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$61.7 MX$1,151

10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$26.92 MX$502

97.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$109 MX$2,033

-1.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$81.9 MX$1,527

43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$802 MX$15.0K

38.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$607 MX$11.3K

16.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,247 MX$23.2K

107.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$826 MX$15.4K

70.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,520 MX$28.3K

138.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,028 MX$19.2K

107.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$520 MX$9,703

81.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.6

-2.16%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mazatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Mazatlan

$607 43.6% 14.5% $103

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Mazatlan

$230 * 16.6% 27.9% $89

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Mazatlan

$174 12.5% 12.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Mazatlan

$126 9% 19.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Mazatlan

$144 10.4% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Mazatlan

$52 3.7% 28% $20

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Mazatlan

$58 4.2% 128% $32

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 $802 in Mazatlan. 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 82% higher in Mexico City. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $45 in Mazatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $230 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

441,975

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Mexico City Mazatlan 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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 Mazatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $1,392 in Mazatlan – Mazatlan comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,088 in Mazatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $802 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $87 in Mazatlan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,392 in Mazatlan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mazatlan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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