Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $504 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $504 in Rawalpindi.

Mexico City $1,608
Rawalpindi $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $787 in Rawalpindi.

Mexico City $2,549
Rawalpindi $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,069 in Rawalpindi.

Mexico City $3,490
Rawalpindi $1,069

Living in Mexico City is roughly 219% more expensive than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$2.11 PKR 584

403.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$16.10 PKR 4,454

200.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.07 PKR 1,680

70.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 PKR 492

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 PKR 963

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.01 PKR 556

83.58%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.40 PKR 112

317.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.23 PKR 63.1

452.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.87 PKR 241

97.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.59 PKR 162

415.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.21 PKR 336

60.33%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.10 PKR 303

162.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$6.25 PKR 1,729

75.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.55 PKR 983

160.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$4.94 PKR 1,366

206.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.20 PKR 333

154.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.87 PKR 242

122.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.21 PKR 336

67.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.52 PKR 145

344.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.39 PKR 107

423.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.46 PKR 127

291.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.31 PKR 87.1

377.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.40 PKR 110

217.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.44 PKR 4,550

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 PKR 321

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.04 PKR 564

159.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.19 PKR 53.9

63.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$10.06 PKR 2,783

96.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.87 PKR 240

111.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.35 PKR 95.5

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.11 PKR 860

70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.24 PKR 342

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$19.3K PKR 5.3M

12.88%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$23.6K PKR 6.5M

1.51%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$115 PKR 31.7K

-45.06%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$5.61 PKR 1,551

388.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$18.35 PKR 5,078

94.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$12.01 PKR 3,322

390.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$7.28 PKR 2,015

224.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$4.25 PKR 1,175

50.59%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$48.77 PKR 13.5K

784.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$1,056 PKR 292.3K

981.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$17.54 PKR 4,852

288.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$32.61 PKR 9,022

62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$93.6 PKR 25.9K

15.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$35.98 PKR 9,956

225.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$183 PKR 50.6K

509.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$87.2 PKR 24.1K

714.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$396 PKR 109.5K

553.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$221 PKR 61.2K

535.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,007 PKR 278.6K

260.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$434 PKR 120.2K

391.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$174 PKR 48.0K

444.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

22.81

-50.24%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Rawalpindi

$87 17.3% 87.7% $623

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.2% 68.1% $218

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Rawalpindi

$62 12.2% 68.9% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Rawalpindi

$81 16% 48.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Rawalpindi

$139 27.5% 10% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.1% 71.4% $51

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Rawalpindi

$13 2.7% 47.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $102 per month, with Rawalpindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

11 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Rawalpindi 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $504 in Rawalpindi, so Rawalpindi is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5.4 times higher, 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 $183 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Rawalpindi runs roughly 49% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $49 in Rawalpindi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $504 in Rawalpindi versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rawalpindi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.