Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and McKinney, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,789 in McKinney, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
McKinney, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,789
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in McKinney, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,789 in McKinney, TX.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • McKinney, TX $2,789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $3,710 in McKinney, TX.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • McKinney, TX $3,710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $4,630 in McKinney, TX.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • McKinney, TX $4,630

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 44% less than in McKinney, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, McKinney, TX 107% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$18.90 $18.90
-43.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$59.1 $59.1
-14.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$10.81 $10.81
2.68%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$5.05 $5.05
-27.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$2.56 $2.56
-35.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$1.79 $1.79
-27.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$5.86 $5.86
-43.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$7.59 $7.59
-27.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$0.95 $0.95
86.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$2.79 $2.79
9.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$2.32 $2.32
-13.36%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$4.09 $4.09
-32.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$10.16 $10.16
17.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$15.51 $15.51
-39.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$16.84 $16.84
-10.81%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$3.06 $3.06
0.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$2.85 $2.85
-31.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$2.97 $2.97
-31.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$2.63 $2.63
-15.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$2.18 $2.18
-7.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$2.10 $2.10
-13.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.72 $1.72
-11.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$2.98 $2.98
-57.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$11.05 $11.05
-52.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$11.47 $11.47
40.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$1.75 $1.75
11.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$3.59 $3.59
18.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$3.08 $3.08
-89.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
$189 $189
-89.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$2.93 $2.93
-31.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$14.74 $14.74
-61.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$0.93 $0.93
63.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$36.1K $36.1K
-41.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$24.7K $24.7K
1.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$200 $200
-68.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$59.4 $59.4
-51.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$69.3 $69.3
-50.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$30.36 $30.36
88.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
$12.81 $12.81
93.68%
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$11.85 $11.85
-43.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$1,345 $1,345
-67.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$56.5 $56.5
25.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$28.95 $28.95
79.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$87.8 $87.8
24.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$59.8 $59.8
87.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$1,673 $1,673
-37.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$1,420 $1,420
-53.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$2,639 $2,639
-11.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$1,704 $1,704
-28.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$2,323 $2,323
52.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$2,294 $2,294
-13.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
McKinney, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$5,805 $5,805
-83.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
6.51
73.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for McKinney, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
McKinney, TX
$1.4K 114% $754
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
McKinney, TX
$371 15% $48
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
McKinney, TX
$306 50.8% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
McKinney, TX
$105 32.2% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
McKinney, TX
$329 162% $203
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
McKinney, TX
$54 23.2% $16
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
McKinney, TX
$204 * 692% $178

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,673 in McKinney, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McKinney, TX pays 496% 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 $59.0 in McKinney, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $371 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇺🇸 McKinney, TX
🕒 Local time
12:32 12:32 PM
13:32 1:32 PM
1 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
202,690
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City McKinney, TX 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • McKinney, TX

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 McKinney, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in McKinney, TX?
Mexico City and McKinney, TX differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $2,789 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 496% lower in McKinney, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in McKinney, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,673 in McKinney, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Mexico City or McKinney, TX?
All in, you'll spend $1,567 per month in Mexico City versus $2,789 in McKinney, TX – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in McKinney, TX?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 851% less than in McKinney, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,789 in McKinney, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in McKinney, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and McKinney, TX?
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.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or McKinney, TX?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in McKinney, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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