Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Oral

For one person, living is cheaper in Oral: $723 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Oral

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $723 in Oral.

Mexico City $1,608
Oral $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,099 in Oral.

Mexico City $2,549
Oral $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,476 in Oral.

Mexico City $3,490
Oral $1,476

Living in Mexico City is roughly 123% more expensive than in Oral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Oral is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$8.30 ₸3,764

27.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$33.73 ₸15.3K

43.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.12 ₸3,684

27.46%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.85 ₸840

99.46%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.97 ₸441

72.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.59 ₸267

115.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$0.87 ₸394

266.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.06 ₸934

157.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.46 ₸661

17.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.47 ₸213

546.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.69 ₸768

14.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.44 ₸652

100.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.92 ₸4,044

22.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.39 ₸1,993

110.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$11.31 ₸5,129

33.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$1.25 ₸567

144.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.03 ₸919

-4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.38 ₸1,079

-14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$3.24 ₸1,470

-28.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.42 ₸190

385.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.32 ₸147

462.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.71 ₸322

108.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.14 ₸515

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.20 ₸997

140.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$7.72 ₸3,502

108.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$0.65 ₸296

204.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.23 ₸105

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.65 ₸295

183.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.47 ₸2,481

-3.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.62 ₸282

143.55%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

-21.28%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$83.8 ₸38.0K

-24.80%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$8.66 ₸3,930

216.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$14.61 ₸6,627

144.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$55.5 ₸25.2K

6.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$3.41 ₸1,546

87.68%

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

$432 MX$8,111

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$33.17 ₸15.0K

105.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$281 ₸127.2K

296.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$213 ₸96.8K

232.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$449 ₸203.8K

476.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$317 ₸143.6K

344.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$439 ₸199.4K

115.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Oral: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Oral

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Oral

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Oral

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Oral

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Oral

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Oral

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Oral

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $281 in Oral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.2 times 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $34 in Oral for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $196 per month, with Oral cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇿 Oral

🕒 Local time

02:33 2:33 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

256,960

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Oral 11,650 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Oral

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 Oral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $723 in Oral, so Oral is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.2 times higher, 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 $281 in Oral. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Oral – a meal for two runs $34 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $723 in Oral – Oral is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $723 in Oral versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oral but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Oral 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.

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