Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Molo

For one person, living is cheaper in Molo: $546 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Molo
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Molo Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Molo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $546 in Molo.

Mexico City $1,608
Molo $546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $893 in Molo.

Mexico City $2,549
Molo $893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,240 in Molo.

Mexico City $3,490
Molo $1,240

Living in Mexico City is roughly 194% more expensive than in Molo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Molo is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$6.39 KES 829

66.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$34.32 KES 4,455

40.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.37 KES 826

62.48%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.63 KES 341

40.30%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$0.70 KES 91.3

138.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.61 KES 79.5

108.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.35 KES 305

35.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.67 KES 347

98.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$0.89 KES 115

93.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$0.59 KES 76.2

415.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.01 KES 261

-3.48%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$1.70 KES 221

70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$10.99 KES 1,427

-0.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.42 KES 834

44.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$6.44 KES 836

134.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.47 KES 451

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.08 KES 140

79.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.01 KES 260

1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$1.15 KES 149

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.11 KES 144

83.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.06 KES 138

69.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$0.75 KES 97.4

97.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.75 KES 97.7

69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.49 KES 453

51.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.33 KES 1,471

42.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.29 KES 298

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.77 KES 360

53.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$1.55 KES 202

18.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$1.51 KES 196

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$2.93 KES 380

80.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.56 KES 202

-3.21%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

13.35%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

11.35%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$55.3 KES 7,179

13.87%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$15.06 KES 1,955

81.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$35.56 KES 4,616

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.67 KES 996

-16.56%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$279 KES 36.2K

54.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$27.85 KES 3,615

144.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$28.87 KES 3,748

84.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$69.2 KES 8,985

55.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$58.4 KES 7,576

100.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$378 KES 49.0K

150.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

14.71

-22.84%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Molo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Molo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Molo

$209 38.2% 34.7% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Molo

$124 22.7% 37.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Molo

$83 15.2% 46.8% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Molo

$106 19.4% 15.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Molo

$15 * 2.8% 78.6% $56

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Molo

$9.1 * 1.7% 64.3% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $34 in Molo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $209 per month, with Molo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Molo

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

19:46 7:46 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

48,356

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Molo 14,660 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Molo

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 Molo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $546 in Molo, so Molo is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $279 in Molo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Molo – a meal for two runs $34 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $546 in Molo versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Molo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Molo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Molo wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.