Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Queretaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Queretaro: $1,405 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Queretaro
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Queretaro Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Queretaro

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,405 in Queretaro.

Mexico City $1,548
Queretaro $1,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,147 in Queretaro.

Mexico City $2,436
Queretaro $2,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,890 in Queretaro.

Mexico City $3,323
Queretaro $2,890

Living in Mexico City is roughly 10% more expensive than in Queretaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Queretaro 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$10.88 MX$201

1.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$63.9 MX$1,180

-23.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.53 MX$176

14.38%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.56 MX$65.9

3.37%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.63 MX$30.11

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.08 MX$20.00

15.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.24 MX$59.8

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.37 MX$99.3

2.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.85 MX$34.25

-8.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.74 MX$50.7

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.98 MX$36.55

-3.03%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.67 MX$49.30

2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.53 MX$158

37.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.57 MX$158

11.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$13.64 MX$252

5.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.36 MX$62.0

-10.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.62 MX$29.94

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.12 MX$39.10

-6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.88 MX$34.71

16.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.76 MX$32.60

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.73 MX$32.01

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.53 MX$28.24

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.17 MX$21.68

8.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.45 MX$82.2

17.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$17.78 MX$329

-9.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.11 MX$38.92

-9.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.94 MX$72.8

7.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.59 MX$10.89

-42.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$24.82 MX$459

-20.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.21 MX$59.4

-37.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.54 MX$46.88

-79.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.77 MX$199

-50.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.55 MX$28.64

-1.94%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$24.3K MX$449.9K

-9.32%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$23.1K MX$427.0K

6.08%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$56.6 MX$1,046

7.92%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$26.72 MX$494

6.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$24.98 MX$462

37.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$55.5 MX$1,026

1.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$24.62 MX$455

1.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.25 MX$134

-8.14%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$260 MX$4,795

64.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$5,015 MX$92.7K

132.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$52.8 MX$976

28.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$44.61 MX$824

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$99.3 MX$1,836

6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$95.7 MX$1,769

17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$854 MX$15.8K

19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$554 MX$10.2K

18.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,417 MX$26.2K

62.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$819 MX$15.1K

51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$2,176 MX$40.2K

66.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,246 MX$23.0K

55.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$929 MX$17.2K

3.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.99

-5.75%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Queretaro: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Queretaro

$554 39.5% 15.3% $100

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Queretaro

$301 21.4% 5.3% $17

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Queretaro

$196 14% 3.8% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Queretaro

$132 9.4% 13.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Queretaro

$108 7.7% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Queretaro

$70 5% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Queretaro

$43 3.1% 68% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $854 in Queretaro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 4% 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 $64.0 in Queretaro. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $301, with Queretaro cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Queretaro

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

804,663

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Queretaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Queretaro differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,405 including rent). Queretaro is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $854 in Queretaro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Queretaro runs roughly 26% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $260 in Queretaro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,405 in Queretaro versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Queretaro but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Queretaro 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 Queretaro 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 Queretaro gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.