Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and North Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,982 in North Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in North Charleston, SC
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North Charleston, SC Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

North Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in North Charleston, SC

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 North Charleston, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,982 in North Charleston, SC.

Mexico City $1,561
North Charleston, SC $2,982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $4,326 in North Charleston, SC.

Mexico City $2,440
North Charleston, SC $4,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $5,670 in North Charleston, SC.

Mexico City $3,319
North Charleston, SC $5,670

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 48% less than in North Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, North Charleston, SC 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$20.30 $20.30

-45.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$901

$91.6 $91.6

-46.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$12.16 $12.16

-7.65%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.1

$5.92 $5.92

-36.49%

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

$1.65 MX$30.38

$2.93 $2.93

-43.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.52

$2.43 $2.43

-47.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.9

$6.01 $6.01

-45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$8.05 $8.05

-29.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.28

$1.01 $1.01

79.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.1

$3.59 $3.59

-18.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.68

$4.63 $4.63

-55.72%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.8

$5.10 $5.10

-42.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$220

$7.00 $7.00

70.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$14.45 $14.45

-34.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$20.60 $20.60

-27.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.8

$8.18 $8.18

-61.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.05

$1.79 $1.79

12.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.16

$5.18 $5.18

-59.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.79

$6.30 $6.30

-64.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.87

$4.41 $4.41

-53.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.52

$3.21 $3.21

-41.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.22

$2.61 $2.61

-43.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.73

$1.95 $1.95

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.5

$9.64 $9.64

-43.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$15.76 $15.76

6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.49

$2.21 $2.21

-10.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.5

$2.97 $2.97

45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.34

$2.51 $2.51

-86.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$372

$50.6 $50.6

-60.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.52

$2.93 $2.93

-28.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.76

$1.27 $1.27

-58.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.4

$32.69 $32.69

-83.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.95

$0.99 $0.99

53.54%

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

$21.7K MX$399.6K

$34.9K $34.9K

-37.71%

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

$24.8K MX$456.3K

$25.2K $25.2K

-1.54%

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

$63.0 MX$1,158

$225 $225

-72.00%

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

$28.88 MX$531

$76.4 $76.4

-62.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$624

$83.6 $83.6

-59.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,026

$17.20 $17.20

224.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$125

$13.91 $13.91

-51.33%

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

$428 MX$7,866

$930 $930

-54.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.3K

$18.4K $18.4K

-35.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,288

$66.0 $66.0

6.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$988

$44.41 $44.41

20.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,019

$112 $112

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,118

$132 $132

-12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$2,004 $2,004

-46.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$1,486 $1,486

-54.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$2,465 $2,465

-3.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.2K

$2,393 $2,393

-47.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.3K

$2,865 $2,865

29.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$2,896 $2,896

-31.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$4,375 $4,375

-77.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.57

71.99%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for North Charleston, SC: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

North Charleston, SC

$1.5K 50.7% 122% $815

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

North Charleston, SC

$446 15.2% 36.4% $119

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

North Charleston, SC

$338 11.5% 63% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

North Charleston, SC

$159 5.5% 1.6% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

North Charleston, SC

$385 13.1% 206% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

North Charleston, SC

$45 1.5% 35.1% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

North Charleston, SC

$70 2.4% 165% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $2,004 in North Charleston, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Charleston, SC pays 339% 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 $92.0 in North Charleston, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $446 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 North Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

97,471

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City North Charleston, SC 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
North Charleston, SC

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 North Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and North Charleston, SC differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $2,982 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 339% lower in North Charleston, SC. 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $2,004 in North Charleston, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 150% less than in North Charleston, SC. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $930 in North Charleston, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,982 in North Charleston, SC, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in North Charleston, SC. 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 91% less than in North Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.