Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $502 in Ragama.

Mexico City $1,608
Ragama $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $816 in Ragama.

Mexico City $2,549
Ragama $816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,129 in Ragama.

Mexico City $3,490
Ragama $1,129

Living in Mexico City is roughly 220% more expensive than in Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ragama is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.89 LKR 1,294

173.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$25.24 LKR 8,390

91.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.42 LKR 2,467

39.49%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.45 LKR 815

50.61%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.73 LKR 243

128.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.27 LKR 90.2

370.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.26 LKR 750

41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.01 LKR 1,000

76.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.43 LKR 474

20.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.50 LKR 165

508.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.68 LKR 227

185.29%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.66 LKR 551

74.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$14.02 LKR 4,660

-21.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.82 LKR 1,603

91.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.40 LKR 2,460

104.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$6.56 LKR 2,180

-53.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$0.81 LKR 270

139.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$4.32 LKR 1,435

-53.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.32 LKR 437

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.04 LKR 345

96.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.77 LKR 255

133.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.92 LKR 306

60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.45 LKR 150

182.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$10.17 LKR 3,380

-47.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$12.95 LKR 4,304

24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.91 LKR 636

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.00 LKR 997

41.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.38 LKR 126

384.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.35 LKR 115

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$0.87 LKR 288

509.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.34 LKR 444

12.69%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-50.60%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-39.94%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

8.57%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$4.24 LKR 1,409

545.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$20.84 LKR 6,927

71.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.42 LKR 1,471

44.80%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

1056.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

838.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$18.43 LKR 6,126

270.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$16.62 LKR 5,526

219.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

35.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

178.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

12.69

-10.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ragama

$234 46.5% 26.9% $86

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ragama

$104 20.7% 47.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ragama

$70 14% 54.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ragama

$83 16.5% 34.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 87.7% $63

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 91.7% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $25 in Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $234 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

04:27 4:27 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Ragama 17,070 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $502 in Ragama, so Ragama is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $753 in Ragama 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.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $37 in Ragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – a meal for two runs $25 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Ragama versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama 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.