Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
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Nogales Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,207 in Nogales.

Mexico City $1,674
Nogales $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,877 in Nogales.

Mexico City $2,606
Nogales $1,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,547 in Nogales.

Mexico City $3,537
Nogales $2,547

Living in Mexico City is roughly 39% more expensive than in Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Nogales is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$198

$10.57 MX$198

0.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$972

$43.20 MX$808

20.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$8.57 MX$160

25.20%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.0

$3.44 MX$64.4

10.47%

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

$1.61 MX$30.16

$1.35 MX$25.16

19.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.67

$1.05 MX$19.59

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.4

$2.46 MX$46.08

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.96 MX$74.2

37.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.60 MX$29.94

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.5

$2.54 MX$47.54

16.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.02

$1.64 MX$30.70

17.68%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.9

$2.48 MX$46.47

11.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$218

$8.14 MX$152

43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$177

$8.37 MX$157

13.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$288

$11.40 MX$213

34.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.1

$2.68 MX$50.1

15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$1.50 MX$28.08

30.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.07

$1.92 MX$35.87

3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.68

$1.83 MX$34.28

27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.85

$1.94 MX$36.29

4.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.13

$1.82 MX$34.07

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.89

$1.38 MX$25.76

11.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.54

$1.06 MX$19.81

23.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$4.28 MX$80.0

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$303

$10.12 MX$189

59.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.64

$1.71 MX$31.97

14.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.4

$3.14 MX$58.7

38.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.70

$0.63 MX$11.72

-52.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$365

$29.70 MX$555

-34.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$2.62 MX$48.98

-26.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.84

$1.99 MX$37.22

-76.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$10.94 MX$205

-50.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$1.48 MX$27.61

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

$21.4K MX$399.7K

$23.6K MX$440.7K

-9.29%

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

$23.8K MX$444.3K

$23.5K MX$439.6K

1.07%

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

$62.0 MX$1,160

$56.7 MX$1,061

9.25%

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

$28.47 MX$533

$22.57 MX$422

26.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$638

$29.55 MX$553

15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,092

$32.41 MX$606

80.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

$19.71 MX$369

24.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$5.25 MX$98.2

25.52%

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

$434 MX$8,122

$218 MX$4,084

98.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$262.5K

$4,499 MX$84.1K

211.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,278

$53.8 MX$1,006

27.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,025

$39.92 MX$747

37.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,073

$97.6 MX$1,826

13.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,169

$87.3 MX$1,633

32.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$587 MX$11.0K

100.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$443 MX$8,291

73.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.1K

$1,029 MX$19.2K

149.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.6K

$760 MX$14.2K

86.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.1K

$1,910 MX$35.7K

87.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.6K

$1,136 MX$21.3K

81.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.31

0.35%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nogales: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Nogales

$443 36.7% 42.5% $328

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Nogales

$260 21.6% 19.5% $63

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Nogales

$181 15% 9.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Nogales

$125 10.4% 20.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Nogales

$109 9% 12.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Nogales

$43 3.6% 40% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Nogales

$45 3.7% 79.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $587 in Nogales. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $43 in Nogales for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $260 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

261,137

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Nogales 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,207 in Nogales, so Nogales is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,810 in Nogales 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $587 in Nogales. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 34% less than in Nogales. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $218 in Nogales. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Nogales 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.