Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Quito

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $1,015 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Quito
Learn more

Quito Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,015 in Quito.

Mexico City $1,608
Quito $1,015

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,636 in Quito.

Mexico City $2,549
Quito $1,636

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,258 in Quito.

Mexico City $3,490
Quito $2,258

Living in Mexico City is roughly 58% more expensive than in Quito, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Quito is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$5.41 $5.41

96.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$55.2 $55.2

-12.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.66 $7.66

35.12%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$3.31 $3.31

11.48%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.36 $1.36

22.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$1.09 $1.09

16.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$3.46 $3.46

-7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$5.85 $5.85

-9.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.09 $1.09

57.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$1.55 $1.55

96.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.56 $1.56

24.36%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.16 $2.16

33.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$6.45 $6.45

70.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$5.22 $5.22

77.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$7.66 $7.66

97.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$2.34 $2.34

30.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.20 $1.20

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$1.27 $1.27

59.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$1.12 $1.12

106.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.19 $1.19

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$1.02 $1.02

76.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$0.90 $0.90

64.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.00 $1.00

27.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$6.14 $6.14

-13.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$8.62 $8.62

86.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$1.58 $1.58

25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.10 $3.10

37.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$0.36 $0.36

-13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$21.34 $21.34

-7.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$1.46 $1.46

26.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$1.54 $1.54

-65.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$10.07 $10.07

-47.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$0.86 $0.86

75.58%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$23.3K $23.3K

-6.78%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$30.5K $30.5K

-21.34%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$28.33 $28.33

122.31%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$18.08 $18.08

51.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$28.84 $28.84

23.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$42.86 $42.86

37.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$17.92 $17.92

31.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.75 $6.75

-5.19%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$750 $750

-42.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$8,967 $8,967

27.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$69.7 $69.7

-2.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$49.06 $49.06

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$112 $112

-4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$110 $110

7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$548 $548

103.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$362 $362

96.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$1,126 $1,126

129.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$637 $637

120.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$1,654 $1,654

119.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$664 $664

221.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$606 $606

56.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.12

12.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quito: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Quito

$362 35.6% 49.1% $349

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Quito

$192 18.9% 40% $128

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Quito

$145 14.3% 27.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Quito

$153 15.1% 1.7% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Quito

$75 7.4% 40.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Quito

$56 5.6% 21.5% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Quito

$32 3.2% 25.5% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $548 in Quito. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 56% 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 Quito. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $192, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Quito

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,671,191 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Quito 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Quito

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 Quito: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Quito differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,015 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% 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 $548 in Quito. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 8% less than in Quito. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $750 in Quito. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,015 in Quito versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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.

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