Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ostia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,756 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,756 in Ostia.

Mexico City $1,567
Ostia $1,756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,594 in Ostia.

Mexico City $2,450
Ostia $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,432 in Ostia.

Mexico City $3,333
Ostia $3,432

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 11% less than in Ostia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Ostia 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$16.51 €14.69

-34.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$66.0 €58.7

-23.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$11.36 €10.10

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.25 €2.00

63.56%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.33 €2.07

-29.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.20 €1.06

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$5.46 €4.86

-39.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.80 €4.27

15.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.67 €1.48

5.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.16 €1.92

41.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.00 €2.67

-33.00%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.54 €4.04

-38.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$14.92 €13.27

-20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$12.49 €11.11

-25.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$19.61 €17.44

-23.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.59 €2.30

18.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.06 €1.84

-5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.33 €2.07

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$2.38 €2.11

-7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.44 €1.28

40.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.60 €1.42

13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.32 €1.17

15.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.51 €0.46

150.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$6.63 €5.90

-20.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$5.42 €4.82

197.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.56 €1.39

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$2.50 €2.22

70.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.65 €1.47

-81.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$39.01 €34.70

-49.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$4.42 €3.93

-54.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.24 €1.11

-57.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$23.16 €20.60

-75.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.15 €1.91

-29.30%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$35.3K €31.4K

-40.37%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$35.4K €31.5K

-28.90%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$197 €175

-68.22%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$9.61 €8.55

199.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$31.13 €27.69

10.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$56.1 €49.93

1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$11.20 €9.96

121.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$11.07 €9.85

-39.75%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$449 €400

-4.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$8,805 €7,832

33.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$72.2 €64.2

-1.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$36.65 €32.60

41.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$84.6 €75.2

28.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$125 €111

-9.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$853 €759

23.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$673 €599

-1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,130 €1,005

107.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$990 €881

23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,992 €1,772

-51.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.5

222.86%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Ostia

$673 38.3% 1.2% $8

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Ostia

$324 18.4% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Ostia

$244 13.9% 20.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Ostia

$143 8.2% 7.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Ostia

$237 13.5% 88.8% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ostia

$78 4.5% 11.1% $7.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Ostia

$56 3.2% 118% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $853 in Ostia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ostia pays 104% 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 $66.0 in Ostia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇹 Ostia

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

79,400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ostia 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ostia

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 Ostia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ostia differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,756 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 104% lower in Ostia. 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $853 in Ostia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 97% less than in Ostia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $449 in Ostia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,756 in Ostia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ostia. 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 12% less than in Ostia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.