Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Portsmouth, Dominica

For one person, living is cheaper in Portsmouth: $921 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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

Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $921 in Portsmouth.

Mexico City $1,608
Portsmouth $921

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,637 in Portsmouth.

Mexico City $2,549
Portsmouth $1,637

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,353 in Portsmouth.

Mexico City $3,490
Portsmouth $2,353

Living in Mexico City is roughly 75% more expensive than in Portsmouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Portsmouth is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$5.42 EC$14.64

95.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$54.6 EC$147

-11.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.48 EC$17.51

59.72%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.56 EC$6.90

44.14%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.21 EC$5.96

-24.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.83 EC$4.94

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.56 EC$6.91

24.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.73 EC$10.06

42.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.70 EC$7.30

-36.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.25 EC$6.08

35.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.05 EC$5.54

-5.37%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$6.71 EC$18.12

-56.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$2.63 EC$7.10

317.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.57 EC$15.04

66.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$7.43 EC$20.06

-58.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$2.61 EC$7.05

-25.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$4.10 EC$11.07

-50.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$4.01 EC$10.83

-42.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.78 EC$7.50

-26.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.80 EC$7.57

-35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.83 EC$4.95

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.81 EC$4.88

-29.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.91 EC$29.47

47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.89 EC$5.10

4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.65 EC$7.17

60.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.77 EC$2.08

-59.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.78 EC$10.22

-51.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$3.63 EC$9.80

-85.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

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

$41.40 EC$112

-33.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$64.8 EC$175

-44.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$36.86 EC$99.5

59.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.22 EC$30.31

-42.96%

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

$55.6 EC$150

22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$24.30 EC$65.6

118.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$56.1 EC$152

91.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$67.7 EC$183

73.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$254 EC$686

338.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$220 EC$593

223.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$656 EC$1,772

294.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$637 EC$1,720

120.74%

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

$641 EC$1,731

47.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Portsmouth: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Portsmouth

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Portsmouth

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Portsmouth

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Portsmouth

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Portsmouth

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Portsmouth

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Portsmouth

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $254 in Portsmouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 48% 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 $55 in Portsmouth. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $289, with Portsmouth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

3,633

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.332 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.01 XCD (1 XCD = 0.332 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Portsmouth 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Portsmouth

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 Portsmouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $921 in Portsmouth, so Portsmouth is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $254 in Portsmouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $55 in Portsmouth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $921 in Portsmouth – Portsmouth is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 – Portsmouth wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.