Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and North East, MD

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,506 in North East, MD, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in North East, MD
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North East, MD Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

North East, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in North East, MD

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,506 in North East, MD.

Mexico City $1,548
North East, MD $2,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,589 in North East, MD.

Mexico City $2,436
North East, MD $3,589

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,672 in North East, MD.

Mexico City $3,323
North East, MD $4,672

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 38% less than in North East, MD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, North East, MD 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$15.08 $15.08

-26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$74.6 $74.6

-34.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.23 $10.23

6.55%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.24 $5.24

-29.77%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.33 $2.33

-30.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.75 $1.75

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$6.90 $6.90

-52.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.47 $4.47

23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.17 $1.17

45.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.94 $2.94

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.68 $2.68

-28.36%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.82 $3.82

-28.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$9.38 $9.38

25.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$9.59 $9.59

-0.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.48 $18.48

-22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.64 $4.64

-34.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.32 $1.32

43.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.34 $4.34

-54.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$4.00 $4.00

-45.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.56 $2.56

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.47 $2.47

-24.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.55 $2.55

-43.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.79 $1.79

-29.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$13.99 $13.99

-62.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$14.44 $14.44

11.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.43 $2.43

-21.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.64 $3.64

15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.26 $2.26

-84.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.03 $5.03

-60.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.12 $1.12

-53.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$23.07 $23.07

-76.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.05 $1.05

44.76%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$33.3K $33.3K

-33.61%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.4K $25.4K

-3.60%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$294 $294

-79.22%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$49.39 $49.39

-42.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$60.8 $60.8

-43.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$38.46 $38.46

46.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$16.64 $16.64

-59.98%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,948 $1,948

-78.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$27.8K $27.8K

-58.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$46.28 $46.28

46.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$39.54 $39.54

31.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$86.4 $86.4

22.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$132 $132

-14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,767 $1,767

-42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,241 $1,241

-47.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,682 $2,682

-13.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,984 $1,984

-37.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,643 $2,643

36.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,189 $2,189

-11.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.46

74.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for North East, MD: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

North East, MD

$1.2K 49.5% 89.6% $586

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

North East, MD

$360 14.4% 13.1% $42

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

North East, MD

$274 10.9% 34.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

North East, MD

$137 5.5% 10.2% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

North East, MD

$404 16.1% 226% $280

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

North East, MD

$72 2.9% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

North East, MD

$20 * 0.8% 23.3% $6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,767 in North East, MD. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $75.0 in North East, MD for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $360 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 North East, MD

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,600

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City North East, MD 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
North East, MD

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 East, MD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and North East, MD differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,506 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $3,760 in North East, MD 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,767 in North East, MD. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,948 in North East, MD. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $75.0 in North East, MD. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,506 in North East, MD, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in North East, MD. 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 62% less than in North East, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.