Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Pachuca

For one person, living is cheaper in Pachuca: $877 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Pachuca
Learn more

Pachuca Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Pachuca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $877 in Pachuca.

Mexico City $1,608
Pachuca $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,460 in Pachuca.

Mexico City $2,549
Pachuca $1,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,044 in Pachuca.

Mexico City $3,490
Pachuca $2,044

Living in Mexico City is roughly 83% more expensive than in Pachuca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Pachuca is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.96 MX$93.2

114.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$25.47 MX$479

89.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.91 MX$149

30.85%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.98 MX$56.0

23.83%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.12 MX$21.02

49.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.80 MX$15.05

58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.64 MX$30.86

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.15 MX$59.3

68.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.49 MX$28.00

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.51 MX$47.26

21.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.79 MX$33.71

8.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.67 MX$50.2

8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.13 MX$134

53.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.54 MX$85.4

103.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.64 MX$144

98.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.00 MX$37.50

52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.31 MX$24.70

48.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.46 MX$27.41

39.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.64 MX$30.79

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.46 MX$27.39

39.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.28 MX$23.97

40.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.89 MX$16.70

66.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.96 MX$17.96

32.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.30 MX$80.7

23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.25 MX$155

95.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.31 MX$24.63

51.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.45 MX$46.08

73.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.59 MX$11.04

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$26.43 MX$497

-25.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.62 MX$49.20

-29.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$2.58 MX$48.55

-79.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$10.61 MX$199

-50.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.41 MX$26.56

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.5K MX$404.5K

1.07%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$22.9K MX$430.6K

4.69%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$45.14 MX$848

39.52%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$19.13 MX$360

43.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$22.63 MX$425

57.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$23.75 MX$446

148.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.81 MX$203

118.69%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.20 MX$78.9

52.38%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$163 MX$3,059

165.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$2,635 MX$49.5K

333.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$51.0 MX$958

33.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$41.00 MX$770

29.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$93.3 MX$1,753

15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$75.3 MX$1,415

55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$388 MX$7,286

187.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$268 MX$5,035

165.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$600 MX$11.3K

331.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$675 MX$12.7K

108.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$737 MX$13.9K

392.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$645 MX$12.1K

230.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$651 MX$12.2K

45.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.8

5.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pachuca: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Pachuca

$268 30.6% 62.3% $443

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Pachuca

$207 23.6% 35.3% $113

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Pachuca

$121 13.8% 38.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Pachuca

$117 13.4% 24.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Pachuca

$87 9.9% 31.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Pachuca

$32 3.7% 55.2% $40

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Pachuca

$44 5.1% 74.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $388 in Pachuca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 45% 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 $25 in Pachuca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $207 per month, with Pachuca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Pachuca

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

297,848

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Pachuca 86 km

From you

Mexico City
Pachuca

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 Pachuca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $877 in Pachuca, so Pachuca is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $388 in Pachuca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 25% less than in Pachuca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $163 in Pachuca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Pachuca versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pachuca but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Pachuca 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 – Pachuca wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.