Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Morelia

For one person, living is cheaper in Morelia: $1,135 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Morelia
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Morelia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Morelia

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,135

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,135 in Morelia.

Mexico City $1,608
Morelia $1,135

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,833 in Morelia.

Mexico City $2,549
Morelia $1,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,532 in Morelia.

Mexico City $3,490
Morelia $2,532

Living in Mexico City is roughly 42% more expensive than in Morelia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Morelia is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.06 MX$133

50.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$38.01 MX$714

27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.88 MX$111

76.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.37 MX$63.3

9.50%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.22 MX$22.87

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.19 MX$22.40

6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.85 MX$53.7

11.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.67 MX$69.0

44.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.71 MX$32.08

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.06 MX$57.6

-0.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.94 MX$36.41

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.87 MX$53.9

0.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.27 MX$212

-2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.60 MX$180

-3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$14.90 MX$280

1.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.10 MX$58.3

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.60 MX$30.05

21.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.06 MX$38.64

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.30 MX$43.22

0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.95 MX$36.56

4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.86 MX$34.91

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.49 MX$27.96

-0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.32 MX$24.74

-3.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.93 MX$73.9

34.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$14.63 MX$275

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.98 MX$37.13

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.64 MX$68.3

16.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.63 MX$11.87

-50.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$31.85 MX$599

-38.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.33 MX$24.94

38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.53 MX$9.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.29 MX$99.4

0.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.43 MX$26.84

5.59%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.4K MX$402.3K

1.61%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$22.8K MX$429.0K

5.09%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$62.3 MX$1,172

1.03%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$27.35 MX$514

0.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$34.56 MX$649

3.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$29.92 MX$562

96.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$27.41 MX$515

-13.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.35 MX$81.7

47.13%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$212 MX$3,984

103.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,795 MX$52.5K

308.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$54.7 MX$1,027

24.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$38.30 MX$720

38.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$108 MX$2,033

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$94.2 MX$1,770

24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$336 MX$6,321

231.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$339 MX$6,367

109.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$938 MX$17.6K

175.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$702 MX$13.2K

100.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,638 MX$30.8K

121.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$643 MX$12.1K

232.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$636 MX$12.0K

48.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.53

7.79%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Morelia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Morelia

$339 29.9% 52.3% $372

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Morelia

$316 27.9% 1.1% $3.6

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Morelia

$146 12.9% 26.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Morelia

$133 11.7% 14.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Morelia

$124 11% 1.4% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Morelia

$39 3.4% 46.2% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Morelia

$38 3.4% 50.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $336 in Morelia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $38 in Morelia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $316 per month, with Morelia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Morelia

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

743,275

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Morelia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,135 in Morelia, so Morelia is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Mexico City, 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 $336 in Morelia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $212 in Morelia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Morelia – a meal for two runs $38 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Morelia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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