Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Otsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Otsu: $1,297 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Otsu
Learn more

Otsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Otsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,297 in Otsu.

Mexico City $1,608
Otsu $1,297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,890 in Otsu.

Mexico City $2,549
Otsu $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,482 in Otsu.

Mexico City $3,490
Otsu $2,482

Living in Mexico City is roughly 24% more expensive than in Otsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Otsu is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$8.43 ¥1,331

25.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$31.93 ¥5,043

51.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.13 ¥810

101.75%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$3.12 ¥494

18.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.18 ¥187

41.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.90 ¥142

41.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$3.19 ¥504

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$4.51 ¥712

17.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.53 ¥242

12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.55 ¥245

96.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$4.52 ¥714

-57.08%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.14 ¥338

35.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$15.67 ¥2,475

-29.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.88 ¥1,086

34.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$17.21 ¥2,718

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$4.95 ¥782

-38.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.49 ¥393

-22.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$4.97 ¥785

-59.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$4.42 ¥698

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$2.20 ¥348

-7.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.87 ¥295

-3.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.19 ¥187

24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.87 ¥137

45.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.97 ¥627

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$9.69 ¥1,530

66.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.06 ¥326

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$2.19 ¥345

94.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$1.49 ¥235

-79.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$57.5 ¥9,080

-65.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.26 ¥514

-43.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$2.85 ¥450

-81.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$28.41 ¥4,486

-81.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.12 ¥177

34.82%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$22.2K ¥3.5M

-1.86%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

57.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$118 ¥18.6K

-46.50%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$23.18 ¥3,661

18.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$30.70 ¥4,849

16.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$50.9 ¥8,042

15.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$9.46 ¥1,494

149.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.85 ¥2,029

-50.19%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$700 ¥110.6K

-38.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$12.6K ¥2.0M

-9.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$55.5 ¥8,766

22.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$36.05 ¥5,693

47.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$69.5 ¥11.0K

55.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$97.1 ¥15.3K

20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$443 ¥69.9K

151.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$366 ¥57.9K

93.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$623 ¥98.4K

315.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$461 ¥72.9K

204.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$4,199 ¥663.1K

-13.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$2,274 ¥359.2K

-6.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,818 ¥287.0K

-47.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.1

440.48%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Otsu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Otsu

$366 28.3% 48.4% $344

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Otsu

$332 25.6% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Otsu

$154 11.8% 22.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Otsu

$116 9% 25.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Otsu

$172 13.2% 36.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Otsu

$77 5.9% 6.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Otsu

$81 6.2% 218% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $443 in Otsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Otsu pays 92% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $32 in Otsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $332, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Otsu

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

341,314

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Otsu 11,630 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Otsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,297 in Otsu, so Otsu is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $443 in Otsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 66% less than in Otsu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $700 in Otsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Otsu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.