Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Qena Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Qena

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,472 in Mexico City versus $491 in Qena.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,359 in Mexico City versus $778 in Qena.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,245 in Mexico City versus $1,064 in Qena.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 200% more expensive than in Qena, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 11% above, Qena is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.14 MX$227

$3.84 E£193

242.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 MX$926

$15.69 E£789

241.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 MX$161

$5.90 E£297

58.14%

Cappuccino

$3.70 MX$64.0

$1.65 E£83.2

124.24%

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

$1.60 MX$27.76

$0.35 E£17.54

357.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.34

$0.15 E£7.64

646.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 MX$54.3

$2.03 E£102

54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 MX$83.9

$2.62 E£132

85.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$28.61

$0.93 E£46.99

77.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 MX$46.96

$0.57 E£28.84

375.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 MX$33.03

$0.70 E£35.17

172.86%

Eggs

$2.59 MX$44.81

$2.18 E£109

18.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 MX$170

$3.55 E£179

176.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 MX$146

$6.53 E£329

29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 MX$206

$10.13 E£509

17.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 MX$51.1

$1.33 E£66.7

121.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 MX$30.10

$0.43 E£21.82

304.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$35.38

$0.43 E£21.53

374.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$35.64

$0.62 E£31.04

232.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MX$37.20

$0.49 E£24.85

338.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 MX$39.02

$0.57 E£28.71

296.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$23.97

$0.30 E£15.11

363.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.31

$0.18 E£9.04

522.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 MX$73.0

$2.02 E£101

108.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.51 MX$303

$7.38 E£371

137.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$29.58

$1.20 E£60.6

42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 MX$62.8

$1.77 E£88.9

105.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 MX$6.10

$0.21 E£10.32

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.32 MX$334

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 MX$23.80

$0.42 E£21.00

228.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.77

$0.15 E£7.55

86.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.28 MX$91.3

$1.97 E£99.0

168.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$23.50

$0.33 E£16.54

312.12%

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

$19.1K MX$330.5K

$17.4K E£874.0K

9.94%

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

$23.6K MX$408.4K

$33.0K E£1.7M

-28.46%

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

$40.53 MX$701

$25.92 E£1,304

56.37%

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

$27.38 MX$474

$6.45 E£324

324.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 MX$526

$12.50 E£629

143.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 MX$903

$21.89 E£1,101

138.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 MX$107

$3.50 E£176

76.86%

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

$425 MX$7,355

$97.9 E£4,924

334.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$185.7K

$590 E£29.7K

1719.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 MX$1,009

$11.18 E£563

421.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.57 MX$771

$19.37 E£974

130.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,791

$107 E£5,393

-3.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MX$1,881

$50.4 E£2,537

115.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MX$17.5K

$190 E£9,547

434.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 MX$10.8K

$101 E£5,099

514.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 MX$36.7K

$312 E£15.7K

580.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 MX$21.2K

$179 E£8,981

585.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,792 MX$65.6K

$842 E£42.3K

350.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,110 MX$36.5K

$437 E£22.0K

382.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,052 MX$18.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

13.40%

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

Last update for Mexico City: July 25, 2026

Last update for Qena: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,014 in Mexico City and $190 in Qena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Mexico City vs $16.00 in Qena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $145 per month, with Qena cheaper across the board.

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 Qena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Qena differ by about 200% in total monthly costs ($1,472 vs $491 including rent). Qena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,208 in Mexico City and $737 in Qena 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: $1,014 in Mexico City versus $190 in Qena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $425 in Mexico City versus $97.9 in Qena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Qena – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $491 in Qena versus $1,472 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qena but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Qena 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 Qena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 200% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.