Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $715 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $715 in Mombasa.

Mexico City $1,608
Mombasa $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,138 in Mombasa.

Mexico City $2,549
Mombasa $1,138

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,560 in Mombasa.

Mexico City $3,490
Mombasa $1,560

Living in Mexico City is roughly 125% more expensive than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Mombasa is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.63 KES 342

303.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$24.66 KES 3,201

96.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.51 KES 1,364

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.71 KES 351

36.16%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.74 KES 95.5

125.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.48 KES 62.3

164.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.33 KES 303

36.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.26 KES 423

62.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.92 KES 119

86.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.50 KES 64.3

508.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.57 KES 204

23.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.82 KES 236

58.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$13.98 KES 1,814

-21.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.89 KES 635

89.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$5.25 KES 682

188.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.16 KES 280

41.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.14 KES 148

70.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.84 KES 239

10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.71 KES 92.4

225.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.69 KES 88.9

195.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.02 KES 132

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.59 KES 77.0

150.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.42 KES 55.1

202.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.97 KES 515

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.51 KES 1,234

69.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.98 KES 257

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.94 KES 382

44.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.81 KES 105

-61.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$38.41 KES 4,986

-48.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.16 KES 410

-41.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.70 KES 221

-68.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$4.61 KES 598

14.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.53 KES 199

-1.31%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

78.35%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$11.9K KES 1.5M

102.06%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$76.8 KES 9,962

-17.94%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$9.07 KES 1,177

201.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$34.36 KES 4,460

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$17.66 KES 2,292

233.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$19.32 KES 2,508

22.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$15.26 KES 1,980

-58.06%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$86.7 KES 11.3K

397.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$5,484 KES 711.9K

108.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$12.89 KES 1,673

429.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$13.50 KES 1,752

293.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$23.07 KES 2,995

367.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$46.74 KES 6,067

150.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$229 KES 29.7K

386.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$157 KES 20.4K

351.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$535 KES 69.4K

383.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$368 KES 47.7K

282.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$5,457 KES 708.4K

-33.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$3,881 KES 503.8K

-44.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$317 KES 41.1K

198.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-12.69%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Mombasa

$157 22% 77.9% $553

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 42.2% $135

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 45.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Mombasa

$43 6.1% 72.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Mombasa

$120 16.8% 4.6% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 32.9% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Mombasa

$53 7.5% 109% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $229 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $25 in Mombasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $185 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Mombasa 15,230 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $715 in Mombasa, so Mombasa is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $229 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 49% less than in Mombasa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $87 in Mombasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $715 in Mombasa versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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 – Mombasa wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.