Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Moratuwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Moratuwa: $131 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Moratuwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $131 in Moratuwa.

Mexico City $1,608
Moratuwa $131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $211 in Moratuwa.

Mexico City $2,549
Moratuwa $211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $291 in Moratuwa.

Mexico City $3,490
Moratuwa $291

Living in Mexico City is roughly 1125% more expensive than in Moratuwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Moratuwa is 90% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.84 LKR 611

100.54%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.71 LKR 234

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.15 LKR 49.28

746.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.85 LKR 616

72.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.46 LKR 816

115.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.25 LKR 417

37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.46 LKR 154

560.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.82 LKR 272

136.59%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.36 LKR 785

22.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$12.27 LKR 4,078

-10.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.46 LKR 154

321.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

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

$27.39 MX$511

$4.44 LKR 1,475

516.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$15.01 LKR 4,989

292.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$3.08 LKR 1,024

667.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$6.05 LKR 2,013

778.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Moratuwa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Moratuwa

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Moratuwa

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Moratuwa

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Moratuwa

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Moratuwa

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Moratuwa

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Moratuwa

–

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Moratuwa

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

04:26 4:26 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

207,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Moratuwa 17,100 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Moratuwa

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 Moratuwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $131 in Moratuwa, so Moratuwa is about 92% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $197 in Moratuwa 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 360% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $131 in Moratuwa – Moratuwa is about 92% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $131 in Moratuwa versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Moratuwa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Moratuwa 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.