Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Midlands Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Midlands

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,484 in Mexico City versus $1,075 in Midlands.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,381 in Mexico City versus $1,755 in Midlands.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,278 in Mexico City versus $2,434 in Midlands.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 38% more expensive than Midlands, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 11% above, Midlands is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.98 MX$226

$6.71 MUR 314

93.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 MX$923

$44.01 MUR 2,057

20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.72 MX$169

$7.20 MUR 337

35.00%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$65.2

$2.69 MUR 126

39.41%

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

$1.57 MX$27.30

$0.95 MUR 44.28

65.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$19.64

$0.60 MUR 28.07

88.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$55.3

$2.24 MUR 105

41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 MX$81.1

$3.21 MUR 150

45.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$28.21

$1.67 MUR 78.1

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$47.09

$0.71 MUR 32.96

281.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$32.70

$1.27 MUR 59.3

48.03%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$43.65

$2.25 MUR 105

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 MX$175

$12.06 MUR 564

-16.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 MX$144

$6.22 MUR 291

33.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.94 MX$208

$12.70 MUR 594

-5.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$49.77

$2.04 MUR 95.4

40.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 MX$30.45

$2.04 MUR 95.3

-14.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$36.27

$1.45 MUR 68.0

43.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$34.27

$2.64 MUR 123

-25.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.58

$0.99 MUR 46.18

118.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 MX$37.94

$0.93 MUR 43.32

134.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$24.20

$0.84 MUR 39.28

65.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.57

$0.81 MUR 37.84

38.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$73.1

$6.78 MUR 317

-38.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 MX$248

$8.37 MUR 391

70.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.68

$1.71 MUR 80.0

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 MX$64.1

$2.14 MUR 100

71.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MX$6.71

$1.03 MUR 48.26

-62.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.66 MX$325

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 MX$24.12

$4.37 MUR 204

-68.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.29

$2.74 MUR 128

-89.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 MX$94.3

$19.93 MUR 932

-72.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 MX$23.50

$1.45 MUR 67.9

-6.90%

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

$18.9K MX$328.6K

$35.1K MUR 1.6M

-46.19%

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

$23.2K MX$402.8K

$28.7K MUR 1.3M

-19.20%

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

$40.82 MX$710

$48.65 MUR 2,275

-16.09%

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

$27.50 MX$479

$18.58 MUR 869

48.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 MX$529

$33.46 MUR 1,564

-9.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 MX$930

$37.83 MUR 1,768

41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 MX$109

$6.01 MUR 281

4.33%

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

$436 MX$7,588

$152 MUR 7,111

186.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MX$182.1K

$3,933 MUR 183.9K

166.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$988

$85.0 MUR 3,972

-33.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.79 MX$779

$78.3 MUR 3,661

-42.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,789

$133 MUR 6,238

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 MX$1,878

$93.9 MUR 4,388

14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 MX$17.4K

$509 MUR 23.8K

96.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 MX$10.8K

$357 MUR 16.7K

73.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 MX$37.2K

$932 MUR 43.6K

129.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 MX$21.5K

$730 MUR 34.1K

69.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,865 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 MX$40.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 MX$18.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

6.67

70.01%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 27, 2026

Last update for Midlands: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,000 in Mexico City and $509 in Midlands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $53.0 in Mexico City vs $44.00 in Midlands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $232 per month, with Midlands cheaper across the board.

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Midlands differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,484 vs $1,075 including rent). Midlands is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,225 in Mexico City and $1,613 in Midlands to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,000 in Mexico City versus $509 in Midlands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $436 in Mexico City versus $152 in Midlands. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Midlands – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $53.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,075 in Midlands versus $1,484 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Midlands but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Midlands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Midlands are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Midlands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.