Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
Learn more

Phnom Penh Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Phnom Penh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,083 in Phnom Penh.

Mexico City $1,608
Phnom Penh $1,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,778 in Phnom Penh.

Mexico City $2,549
Phnom Penh $1,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,474 in Phnom Penh.

Mexico City $3,490
Phnom Penh $2,474

Living in Mexico City is roughly 48% more expensive than in Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Phnom Penh is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$4.55 ៛18.5K

133.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$40.42 ៛164.7K

19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.01 ៛28.6K

47.65%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.84 ៛11.6K

29.93%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.72 ៛7,001

-2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.67 ៛2,727

89.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.03 ៛4,187

209.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.05 ៛12.4K

74.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$2.28 ៛9,284

-24.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.60 ៛6,536

90.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.07 ៛4,378

81.31%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.82 ៛7,428

58.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$14.70 ៛59.9K

-25.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.45 ៛18.1K

107.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.63 ៛39.2K

57.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$4.14 ៛16.9K

-26.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.70 ៛6,947

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$4.49 ៛18.3K

-54.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.02 ៛8,218

14.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.72 ៛6,997

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.26 ៛5,125

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.39 ៛5,659

6.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.77 ៛3,146

64.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.95 ៛7,933

171.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$11.14 ៛45.4K

44.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.01 ៛4,122

96.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.79 ៛7,296

137.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.38 ៛1,560

-18.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$9.88 ៛40.3K

99.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.10 ៛4,463

67.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.01 ៛4,126

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$5.02 ៛20.4K

5.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.36 ៛5,553

11.03%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$34.8K ៛141.9M

-37.51%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$44.6K ៛181.9M

-46.27%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$118 ៛481.8K

-46.73%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$7.32 ៛29.8K

274.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$25.26 ៛102.9K

41.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$37.94 ៛154.6K

55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$11.05 ៛45.0K

113.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.09 ៛20.7K

25.74%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$597 ៛2.4M

-27.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$11.1K ៛45.3M

2.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$28.17 ៛114.8K

142.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$24.25 ៛98.8K

119.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$90.2 ៛367.4K

19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$58.1 ៛236.6K

102.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$658 ៛2.7M

69.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$406 ៛1.7M

74.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,441 ៛5.9M

79.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$950 ៛3.9M

47.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,710 ៛11.0M

34.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,523 ៛6.2M

40.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$315 ៛1.3M

200.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.94

42.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5% 42.8% $304

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8% 19.2% $62

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4% 43.5% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3% 42.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9% 19.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4% 32.9% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6% 31% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $658 in Phnom Penh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $40 in Phnom Penh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $258 per month, with Phnom Penh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

04:53 4:53 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Phnom Penh 15,680 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,083 in Phnom Penh, so Phnom Penh is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3 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 $658 in Phnom Penh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phnom Penh runs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $597 in Phnom Penh. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,083 in Phnom Penh versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phnom Penh but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.