Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $916 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Popovo, Bulgaria
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Popovo
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$916
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $916 in Popovo.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Popovo $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,382 in Popovo.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Popovo $1,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,848 in Popovo.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Popovo $1,848

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Popovo is 32% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$8.60 BGN 15.04
23.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$28.66 BGN 50.2
81.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$6.72 BGN 11.76
59.67%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.7
$1.12 BGN 1.96
239.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$0.77 BGN 1.36
109.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$1.52 BGN 2.66
-20.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$2.52 BGN 4.41
26.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$4.20 BGN 7.34
29.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$1.52 BGN 2.65
13.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$1.03 BGN 1.81
188.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$2.22 BGN 3.89
-13.06%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$2.56 BGN 4.49
8.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$6.97 BGN 12.20
67.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$8.01 BGN 14.02
18.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$14.19 BGN 24.83
8.32%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$1.47 BGN 2.56
110.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$1.45 BGN 2.54
35.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$1.41 BGN 2.46
40.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$2.21 BGN 3.87
5.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$1.06 BGN 1.85
90.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$1.05 BGN 1.84
73.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$1.22 BGN 2.14
26.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$0.70 BGN 1.23
87.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$4.05 BGN 7.08
32.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$6.31 BGN 11.05
156.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$0.88 BGN 1.55
122.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$2.03 BGN 3.56
114.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
$0.90 BGN 1.57
-66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
$25.79 BGN 45.13
-24.43%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$0.55 BGN 0.96
249.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$0.54 BGN 0.95
-12.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$7.90 BGN 13.82
-31.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$1.56 BGN 2.72
-5.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$28.0K BGN 49.0K
-23.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$21.6K BGN 37.9K
9.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$113 BGN 197
-45.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$18.10 BGN 31.67
57.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$15.58 BGN 27.26
118.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
$19.80 BGN 34.65
194.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
$17.16 BGN 30.03
42.77%
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$6.12 BGN 10.71
7.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$509 BGN 892
-14.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$5,443 BGN 9,526
157.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$50.6 BGN 88.6
34.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$39.95 BGN 69.9
37.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$67.5 BGN 118
64.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,159
$45.19 BGN 79.1
156.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
$338 BGN 591
249.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
$260 BGN 455
196.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
$554 BGN 970
363.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
$403 BGN 705
252.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
$1,323 BGN 2,314
171.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
$1,083 BGN 1,896
90.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Popovo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
$1,266 BGN 2,215
-20.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
3.1
266.13%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Popovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Popovo
$260 66.3% $511
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Popovo
$221 31.8% $103
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Popovo
$133 33.9% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Popovo
$91 41.9% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Popovo
$146 17.5% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Popovo
$32 55.2% $40
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Popovo
$33 30.7% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $338 in Popovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Popovo pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $29 in Popovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $221 per month, with Popovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇧🇬 Popovo
🕒 Local time
07:55 7:55 AM
15:55 3:55 PM
8 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
15,878
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Popovo 11,090 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Popovo

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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Popovo?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $916 in Popovo, so Popovo is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 21% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Popovo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $338 in Popovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Popovo?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 24% less than in Popovo. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Popovo?
Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $509 in Popovo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Popovo?
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.

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