Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Oskemen

For one person, living is cheaper in Oskemen: $904 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Oskemen
Learn more

Oskemen Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Oskemen

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $904 in Oskemen.

Mexico City $1,548
Oskemen $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,517 in Oskemen.

Mexico City $2,436
Oskemen $1,517

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,131 in Oskemen.

Mexico City $3,323
Oskemen $2,131

Living in Mexico City is roughly 71% more expensive than in Oskemen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Oskemen is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$13.29 ₸6,010

-17.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$26.05 ₸11.8K

86.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$3.90 ₸1,764

179.49%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.42 ₸1,547

7.60%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.98 ₸444

66.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.55 ₸248

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.58 ₸716

105.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$1.69 ₸766

227.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.45 ₸656

17.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.49 ₸223

516.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.37 ₸618

40.15%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.76 ₸795

55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.07 ₸4,554

16.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.93 ₸2,681

60.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.02 ₸3,624

79.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.17 ₸530

158.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.01 ₸907

-5.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.72 ₸1,230

-26.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.52 ₸1,140

-13.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.94 ₸425

104.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.52 ₸236

259.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.32 ₸145

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.05 ₸476

20.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.23 ₸1,006

134.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.87 ₸2,201

232.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.45 ₸656

31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.62 ₸733

160.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.24 ₸108

41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.13 ₸511

76.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.32 ₸146

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.47 ₸1,119

116.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.66 ₸297

130.30%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$32.4K ₸14.7M

-31.91%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.1K ₸14.1M

-21.21%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$46.60 ₸21.1K

31.05%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.54 ₸5,217

147.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$22.44 ₸10.1K

53.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$26.34 ₸11.9K

113.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$19.83 ₸8,964

25.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$5.09 ₸2,301

30.84%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$66.0 ₸29.8K

547.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$2,835 ₸1.3M

310.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$112 ₸50.8K

-39.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$81.0 ₸36.6K

-35.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$97.9 ₸44.3K

8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$121 ₸54.7K

-6.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$339 ₸153.3K

202.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$226 ₸102.2K

189.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$675 ₸305.0K

242.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$572 ₸258.6K

117.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,107 ₸500.3K

226.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$838 ₸378.8K

131.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$800 ₸361.6K

20.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

19.5

-42.05%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Oskemen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Oskemen

$226 25% 65.4% $428

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Oskemen

$195 21.6% 38.6% $123

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Oskemen

$177 19.5% 13.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Oskemen

$185 20.5% 21.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Oskemen

$81 8.9% 35.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Oskemen

$37 4% 47.6% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Oskemen

$3.7 * 0.4% 85.6% $22

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 $339 in Oskemen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 21% 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 $26.00 in Oskemen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $195 per month, with Oskemen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇿 Oskemen

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

18:33 6:33 PM

12 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

354,770

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 452 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Oskemen 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Oskemen

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 Oskemen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Oskemen differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $904 including rent). Oskemen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $339 in Oskemen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $66.0 in Oskemen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oskemen – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $904 in Oskemen versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Oskemen but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Oskemen 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 Oskemen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.