Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $1,006 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,006 in Ratchaburi.

Mexico City $1,674
Ratchaburi $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,533 in Ratchaburi.

Mexico City $2,606
Ratchaburi $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,061 in Ratchaburi.

Mexico City $3,537
Ratchaburi $2,061

Living in Mexico City is roughly 66% more expensive than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Ratchaburi is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.01 ฿102

251.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$27.13 ฿915

91.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$8.75 ฿295

22.63%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$1.99 ฿67.2

90.95%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.65 ฿22.07

147.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.25 ฿8.35

384.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.43 ฿82.1

30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.61 ฿88.1

108.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.63 ฿54.9

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.47 ฿49.54

102.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.40 ฿47.13

37.86%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.19 ฿73.8

26.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$15.19 ฿512

-23.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$2.57 ฿86.8

268.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$10.19 ฿344

50.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.43 ฿116

-9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.25 ฿42.06

56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.92 ฿64.7

3.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.94 ฿65.6

20.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.19 ฿40.24

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.07 ฿36.24

70.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.22 ฿41.32

26.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.40 ฿13.46

227.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.39 ฿148

21.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$17.51 ฿591

-7.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.65 ฿55.8

18.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.95 ฿99.7

47.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.99 ฿33.26

-69.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.17 ฿39.62

64.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.07 ฿36.25

-56.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$3.62 ฿122

49.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.50 ฿50.6

-1.33%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$46.1K ฿1.6M

-53.68%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$26.2K ฿885.1K

-9.45%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$91.0 ฿3,071

-31.89%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$11.63 ฿392

144.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$18.72 ฿632

82.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$53.7 ฿1,811

8.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$13.50 ฿455

81.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.59 ฿256

-13.18%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$630 ฿21.3K

-31.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$20.7K ฿697.4K

-32.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$50.1 ฿1,690

36.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$29.01 ฿979

88.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$95.5 ฿3,222

16.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$75.5 ฿2,546

53.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$497 ฿16.8K

137.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$357 ฿12.0K

116.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,266 ฿42.7K

103.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$645 ฿21.7K

120.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,210 ฿74.6K

62.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,851 ฿62.5K

11.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.96

90.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Ratchaburi

$357 35.5% 53.7% $414

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Ratchaburi

$241 23.9% 25.6% $83

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Ratchaburi

$95 9.5% 52.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Ratchaburi

$113 11.2% 28.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Ratchaburi

$121 12.1% 2.6% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Ratchaburi

$69 6.8% 3.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1% 58% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $497 in Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $27 in Ratchaburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $241 per month, with Ratchaburi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

01:52 1:52 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

38,208

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.83 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Ratchaburi 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,006 in Ratchaburi, so Ratchaburi is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,509 in Ratchaburi 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $497 in Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $630 in Ratchaburi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratchaburi – a meal for two runs $27 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ratchaburi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.