Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Norfolk

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,351 in Norfolk, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Norfolk
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,351
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,351 in Norfolk.

  • Mexico City $1,567
  • Norfolk $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $3,303 in Norfolk.

  • Mexico City $2,450
  • Norfolk $3,303

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $4,255 in Norfolk.

  • Mexico City $3,333
  • Norfolk $4,255

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 33% less than in Norfolk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Norfolk 74% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.75 MX$199
$21.96 £16.47
-51.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.3 MX$929
$73.6 £55.2
-31.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.10 MX$205
$11.31 £8.48
-1.86%
Cappuccino
$3.68 MX$68.1
$4.89 £3.67
-24.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 MX$30.42
$2.80 £2.10
-41.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.08
$1.62 £1.21
-19.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.32 MX$61.3
$6.66 £5.00
-50.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.54 MX$102
$5.24 £3.93
5.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 MX$32.68
$1.67 £1.25
5.99%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 MX$56.4
$1.53 £1.15
99.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 MX$37.20
$2.15 £1.61
-6.51%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.1
$4.43 £3.33
-37.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.91 MX$220
$9.78 £7.34
21.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 MX$172
$8.70 £6.53
7.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MX$278
$14.67 £11.01
2.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 MX$56.8
$2.86 £2.14
7.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.97
$1.52 £1.14
28.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.54
$2.93 £2.20
-30.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 MX$40.92
$4.52 £3.39
-51.11%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.41
$1.55 £1.16
30.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.67
$1.49 £1.12
22.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$1.15 £0.86
32.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$23.65
$1.76 £1.32
-27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.27 MX$97.4
$23.56 £17.68
-77.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.12 MX$298
$10.58 £7.94
52.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 MX$36.05
$3.15 £2.36
-38.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$78.6
$3.10 £2.33
37.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.82
$2.69 £2.02
-88.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.85 MX$367
$95.6 £71.8
-79.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.00 MX$36.93
$3.93 £2.95
-49.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.86
$1.35 £1.01
-60.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.62 MX$104
$18.83 £14.13
-70.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 MX$28.07
$2.01 £1.51
-24.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K MX$388.7K
$38.3K £28.7K
-45.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K MX$465.3K
$40.2K £30.2K
-37.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.5 MX$1,155
$313 £235
-80.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.77 MX$532
$20.07 £15.06
43.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.45 MX$637
$45.75 £34.32
-24.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,055
$45.42 £34.08
25.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.81 MX$458
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.67 MX$123
$11.98 £8.99
-44.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,964
$1,260 £945
-65.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K MX$216.9K
$12.3K £9,220
-4.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 MX$1,308
$115 £86.4
-38.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.8 MX$958
$50.1 £37.55
3.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 MX$2,011
$113 £84.6
-3.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 MX$2,076
$105 £78.9
6.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 MX$19.4K
$1,105 £829
-4.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$665 MX$12.3K
$974 £731
-31.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,346 MX$43.3K
$1,579 £1,185
48.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 MX$22.7K
$1,347 £1,010
-8.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,554 MX$65.7K
$5,002 £3,753
-28.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,977 MX$36.5K
$3,908 £2,932
-49.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Norfolk
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$975 MX$18.0K
$2,332 £1,749
-58.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.3
5.04
124.21%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Norfolk: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$665
Norfolk
$974 46.4% $309
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$323
Norfolk
$309 4.2% $13
Eating Out
Mexico City
$203
Norfolk
$330 62.4% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$155
Norfolk
$172 11.5% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Norfolk
$379 202% $254
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$70
Norfolk
$69 1.5% $1.1
Getting Around
Mexico City
$26
Norfolk
$117 354% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,105 in Norfolk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norfolk pays 139% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $74.0 in Norfolk. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $309, with Norfolk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇬🇧 Norfolk
🕒 Local time
07:46 7:46 AM
14:46 2:46 PM
7 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
19,256
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Norfolk 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Norfolk

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 Norfolk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Norfolk?
Mexico City and Norfolk differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $2,351 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Norfolk. 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 Norfolk?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,105 in Norfolk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Norfolk?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 382% less than in Norfolk. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Norfolk?
Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $1,260 in Norfolk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,351 in Norfolk, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Norfolk. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Norfolk?
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.
Is Mexico City or Norfolk safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Mexico City and Norfolk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Norfolk?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Norfolk. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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