Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Monaghan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,382 in Monaghan, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Monaghan, Ireland
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Monaghan
🇮🇪 Ireland
$2,382
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,382 in Monaghan.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Monaghan $2,382

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $3,362 in Monaghan.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Monaghan $3,362

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $4,343 in Monaghan.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Monaghan $4,343

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 30% less than in Monaghan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Monaghan 76% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$17.47 €15.56
-39.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$964
$57.8 €51.5
-10.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$199
$12.33 €10.98
-12.98%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.5
$4.02 €3.58
-5.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$29.93
$2.57 €2.29
-37.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.49
$2.11 €1.88
-42.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.0
$6.57 €5.85
-51.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$6.57 €5.85
-17.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.88
$1.61 €1.44
6.83%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.1
$2.11 €1.88
40.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.74
$1.77 €1.58
9.04%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.5
$4.32 €3.85
-35.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$9.84 €8.76
18.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$12.13 €10.81
-21.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$285
$13.20 €11.75
16.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.6
$2.97 €2.64
4.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.39
$2.22 €1.98
-11.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.78
$2.99 €2.66
-33.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.34
$4.02 €3.58
-41.79%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.56
$1.86 €1.65
8.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.86
$1.51 €1.35
20.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.66
$1.26 €1.12
22.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.35
$1.84 €1.64
-28.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.3
$20.10 €17.91
-73.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$300
$13.30 €11.84
21.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.36
$3.26 €2.90
-39.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$80.8
$3.55 €3.16
22.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.66
$2.52 €2.24
-88.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$362
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.58
$5.06 €4.51
-62.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.77
$1.49 €1.33
-68.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$100
$37.90 €33.76
-85.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.53
$1.84 €1.64
-19.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$396.6K
$38.3K €34.1K
-44.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$440.9K
$38.0K €33.8K
-37.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,151
$241 €215
-74.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$528
$20.67 €18.41
37.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$633
$51.1 €45.55
-33.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,084
$57.6 €51.3
1.46%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$455
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$122
$13.64 €12.15
-51.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,059
$1,019 €908
-57.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$260.5K
$5,209 €4,640
169.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,269
$93.3 €83.1
-26.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,017
$41.49 €36.96
32.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,057
$91.5 €81.5
21.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,153
$106 €94.0
9.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
$1,275 €1,135
-7.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
$1,185 €1,056
-34.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.7K
$2,259 €2,012
13.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.3K
$1,820 €1,621
-22.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.3K
$3,366 €2,998
-38.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Monaghan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.6K
$3,993 €3,557
-74.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
3.81
197.90%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monaghan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Monaghan
$1.2K 53.8% $414
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Monaghan
$337 4.2% $14
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Monaghan
$290 44.4% $89
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Monaghan
$149 5.2% $8.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Monaghan
$313 151% $188
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Monaghan
$85 18.6% $13
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Monaghan
$23 * 9.6% $2.4

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaghan pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $58 in Monaghan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $337 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇮🇪 Monaghan
🕒 Local time
22:39 10:39 PM
04:39 4:39 AM
6 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
7,700
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Monaghan 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Monaghan

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 Monaghan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Monaghan?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,382 in Monaghan, so Mexico City is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Mexico City. 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 Monaghan?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,275 in Monaghan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Monaghan?
Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $1,019 in Monaghan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $58 in Monaghan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How far does $3,000 go in Mexico City compared to Monaghan?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Monaghan?
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.
How do I decide between Mexico City and Monaghan?
It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Monaghan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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