Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ploiesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,072 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,072 in Ploiesti.

Mexico City $1,561
Ploiesti $1,072

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $1,631 in Ploiesti.

Mexico City $2,440
Ploiesti $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $2,191 in Ploiesti.

Mexico City $3,319
Ploiesti $2,191

Living in Mexico City is roughly 46% more expensive than in Ploiesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Ploiesti is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$11.59 RON 54.8

-4.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$45.91 RON 217

6.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$7.99 RON 37.79

40.55%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$3.00 RON 14.17

25.33%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$2.16 RON 10.21

-23.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$2.10 RON 9.96

-39.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$2.55 RON 12.05

27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$3.31 RON 15.65

71.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$1.64 RON 7.76

10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$1.13 RON 5.34

160.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$1.48 RON 7.00

38.51%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$3.18 RON 15.05

-7.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$7.91 RON 37.40

51.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$6.80 RON 32.16

39.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$9.35 RON 44.25

58.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$1.36 RON 6.41

130.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$1.73 RON 8.17

16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$1.43 RON 6.78

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$2.00 RON 9.44

11.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$0.77 RON 3.63

167.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$0.76 RON 3.61

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$0.65 RON 3.07

127.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$0.77 RON 3.66

75.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$6.12 RON 28.96

-11.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$6.57 RON 31.07

156.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

$0.93 RON 4.39

112.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

$1.45 RON 6.84

197.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$0.85 RON 4.04

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

$21.35 RON 101

-5.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$0.64 RON 3.04

228.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$0.66 RON 3.10

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$6.37 RON 30.15

-15.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$1.83 RON 8.64

-16.94%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$28.1K RON 132.9K

-22.64%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$25.3K RON 119.7K

-1.92%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$153 RON 723

-58.80%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$6.32 RON 29.88

356.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$8.66 RON 40.95

291.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$43.93 RON 208

26.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

$20.72 RON 98.0

20.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$8.23 RON 38.91

-17.74%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$393 RON 1,860

8.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

$5,729 RON 27.1K

107.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$73.3 RON 347

-4.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$42.28 RON 200

27.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$90.8 RON 429

20.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$95.9 RON 453

20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$418 RON 1,975

154.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$287 RON 1,358

133.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$565 RON 2,675

320.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$459 RON 2,170

174.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$1,944 RON 9,194

91.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$1,236 RON 5,845

59.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$972 RON 4,596

2.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

7.85

43.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ploiesti: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Ploiesti

$287 26.8% 57.2% $383

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Ploiesti

$201 18.8% 38.4% $125

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Ploiesti

$189 17.7% 8.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Ploiesti

$136 12.7% 13.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Ploiesti

$168 15.7% 33.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Ploiesti

$60 5.6% 12.9% $8.9

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ploiesti

$29 2.7% 8.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $418 in Ploiesti. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 3% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $46.00 in Ploiesti for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $201 per month, with Ploiesti cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

224,406

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Ploiesti 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ploiesti

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 Ploiesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ploiesti differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $1,072 including rent). Ploiesti is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $418 in Ploiesti. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ploiesti runs roughly 6% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $393 in Ploiesti. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,072 in Ploiesti versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ploiesti but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ploiesti 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ploiesti are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ploiesti gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.