Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $842 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $842 in Phoenix.

Mexico City $1,608
Phoenix $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,313 in Phoenix.

Mexico City $2,549
Phoenix $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,784 in Phoenix.

Mexico City $3,490
Phoenix $1,784

Living in Mexico City is roughly 91% more expensive than in Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Phoenix is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.16 MUR 102

391.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$31.24 MUR 1,472

54.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.49 MUR 353

38.18%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$5.40 MUR 255

-31.67%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.65 MUR 30.75

156.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.55 MUR 25.73

130.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.11 MUR 99.4

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$5.36 MUR 253

-0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.50 MUR 70.9

14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.40 MUR 18.92

660.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.17 MUR 102

-10.60%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$5.01 MUR 236

-42.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.34 MUR 393

10.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.30 MUR 297

140.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$7.41 MUR 349

-58.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.79 MUR 178

-48.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$4.63 MUR 218

-56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.53 MUR 72.2

50.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.89 MUR 41.91

129.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.81 MUR 38.31

122.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.70 MUR 33.14

111.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.76 MUR 35.72

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.54 MUR 497

52.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.06 MUR 97.2

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.03 MUR 48.74

-69.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$10.76 MUR 507

83.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.46 MUR 68.6

-63.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.29 MUR 60.8

17.05%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

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

$27.39 MX$515

$14.45 MUR 681

89.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$25.12 MUR 1,184

42.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$25.60 MUR 1,206

130.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.39 MUR 254

18.74%

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

$432 MX$8,111

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$53.6 MUR 2,526

27.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$53.5 MUR 2,519

-0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$531 MUR 25.0K

109.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$323 MUR 15.2K

120.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$855 MUR 40.3K

202.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$525 MUR 24.7K

167.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$939 MUR 44.2K

0.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

127.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Phoenix

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Phoenix

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Phoenix

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Phoenix

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Phoenix

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Phoenix

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Phoenix

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $531 in Phoenix. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $31 in Phoenix for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $242 per month, with Phoenix cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

10 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

115,289

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Phoenix 17,570 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Phoenix

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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $842 in Phoenix, so Phoenix is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,262 in Phoenix to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $531 in Phoenix. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phoenix – a meal for two runs $31 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phoenix runs roughly 45% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $842 in Phoenix versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Phoenix but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Phoenix 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 Phoenix gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.