Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,351 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,351 in Medina, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Medina $1,351

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,806 in Medina, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Medina $1,806

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,261 in Medina, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Medina $2,261

Mexico City costs about 19% more than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.63 SAR 21.13

88.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$31.66 SAR 119

52.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.98 SAR 29.92

29.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.59

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$2.61 SAR 9.77

41.38%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.78 SAR 2.94

114.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.23 SAR 0.86

452.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.49 SAR 5.61

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.97 SAR 3.66

213.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.30 SAR 8.61

-15.65%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.12 SAR 7.95

36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$5.38 SAR 20.20

103.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.26 SAR 27.24

27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$12.83 SAR 48.14

17.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.46 SAR 9.24

23.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.93 SAR 7.25

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.34 SAR 8.78

-13.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.55 SAR 5.80

49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.41 SAR 5.30

44.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.32 SAR 4.96

36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.90 SAR 3.38

64.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.69 SAR 2.60

84.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$7.36 SAR 27.61

-27.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-70.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$37.74 SAR 142

-47.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.31 SAR 4.90

40.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.65 SAR 6.21

-67.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$5.71 SAR 21.42

-7.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.63 SAR 2.38

139.68%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$42.7K SAR 160.3K

-49.09%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$20.9K SAR 78.2K

15.03%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$148 SAR 555

-57.41%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$27.56 SAR 103

-0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$89.2 SAR 334

-59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$77.9 SAR 292

-24.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$8.84 SAR 33.18

167.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$13.17 SAR 49.40

-51.40%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$293 SAR 1,100

47.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,518 SAR 20.7K

107.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$37.11 SAR 139

83.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$52.8 SAR 198

0.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$65.9 SAR 247

63.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$68.1 SAR 255

72.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$550 SAR 2,064

102.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$533 SAR 1,999

33.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$779 SAR 2,921

232.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$581 SAR 2,179

142.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$2,256 SAR 8,463

60.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,362 SAR 5,110

56.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,257 SAR 4,716

-24.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.17

172.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Medina

$533 39.4% 25% $178

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Medina

$193 14.3% 39.6% $126

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Medina

$104 7.7% 47.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Medina

$101 7.5% 35.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Medina

$265 19.6% 110% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Medina

$104 7.7% 45.4% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Medina

$52 3.8% 102% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $550 in Medina. 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 33% higher in Medina, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $32 in Medina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $193 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

08:10 8:10 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Medina 13,400 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 19% more than Medina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,027 in Medina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $550 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $293 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,351 in Medina. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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