Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Monroe, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $1,868 in Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Monroe, LA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA.

Mexico City $1,548
Monroe, LA $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,845 in Monroe, LA.

Mexico City $2,436
Monroe, LA $2,845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,822 in Monroe, LA.

Mexico City $3,323
Monroe, LA $3,822

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 17% less than in Monroe, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Monroe, LA 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$16.80 $16.80

-34.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$39.32 $39.32

23.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.19 $10.19

6.97%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.08 $3.08

19.48%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.98 $1.98

-17.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.43 $2.43

-48.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$4.03 $4.03

-19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$6.17 $6.17

-10.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.09 $1.09

55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.74 $2.74

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.75 $2.75

-30.18%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.08 $3.08

-11.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.69 $8.69

35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.95 $7.95

19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$15.71 $15.71

-8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$5.04 $5.04

-40.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.42 $1.42

33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.31 $4.31

-53.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.80 $3.80

-42.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.72 $2.72

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.59 $2.59

-27.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.46 $1.46

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.86 $1.86

-31.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$7.93 $7.93

-34.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$13.25 $13.25

22.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.81 $1.81

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.68 $1.68

151.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.54 $2.54

-21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.53 $1.53

-66.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$23.83 $23.83

-77.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.90 $0.90

68.89%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.6K $27.6K

-20.05%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.7K $26.7K

-8.17%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$171 $171

-64.28%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$53.2 $53.2

-46.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$63.1 $63.1

-45.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$47.06 $47.06

19.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$12.91 $12.91

-48.41%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$807 $807

-47.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$19.1K $19.1K

-39.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$40.69 $40.69

66.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$38.06 $38.06

36.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$63.3 $63.3

67.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$99.4 $99.4

13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$984 $984

4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$812 $812

-19.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,127 $2,127

8.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,619 $1,619

-23.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,858 $1,858

94.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,763 $1,763

9.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,703 $3,703

-73.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.75

67.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Monroe, LA

$812 43.5% 24.2% $158

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Monroe, LA

$325 17.4% 2.1% $6.8

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Monroe, LA

$252 13.5% 23.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Monroe, LA

$109 5.8% 28.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Monroe, LA

$287 15.4% 131% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Monroe, LA

$73 3.9% 4.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5% 60.3% $15

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $984 in Monroe, LA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monroe, LA pays 284% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $39.00 in Monroe, LA. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $325, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

47,702

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Mexico City Monroe, LA 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Monroe, LA

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 Monroe, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Monroe, LA differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,868 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 284% lower in Monroe, LA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $984 in Monroe, LA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $807 in Monroe, LA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $39.00 in Monroe, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,868 in Monroe, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Monroe, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Monroe, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.