Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Reading

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,763 in Reading, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
134

Cost of Living Index in Reading
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Reading Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Reading

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,763 in Reading.

Mexico City $1,608
Reading $2,763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $4,013 in Reading.

Mexico City $2,549
Reading $4,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $5,264 in Reading.

Mexico City $3,490
Reading $5,264

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 42% less than in Reading, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Reading 103% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$27.16 £20.25

-60.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$92.3 £68.8

-47.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.43 £7.77

-0.77%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$4.98 £3.71

-25.90%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$2.89 £2.15

-42.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$2.78 £2.07

-54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$8.66 £6.46

-63.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$6.48 £4.83

-18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.49 £1.11

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.75 £1.30

73.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.93 £2.18

-33.79%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$3.73 £2.78

-22.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.34 £8.46

-3.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$8.52 £6.35

8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$12.90 £9.62

17.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$2.98 £2.23

2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$1.47 £1.10

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.91 £2.17

-30.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$3.21 £2.39

-28.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.55 £1.16

31.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.40 £1.04

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$0.92 £0.68

60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.50 £1.11

-15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$24.01 £17.90

-77.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$13.89 £10.36

15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.32 £1.73

-14.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.08 £2.30

37.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$3.91 £2.92

-92.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$83.8 £62.5

-76.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$6.55 £4.88

-71.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$4.58 £3.41

-88.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$13.37 £9.97

-60.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$2.00 £1.49

-24.50%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$39.3K £29.3K

-44.62%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$40.6K £30.2K

-40.85%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$282 £211

-77.70%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$20.55 £15.32

33.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$46.40 £34.59

-23.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$44.80 £33.40

31.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$21.12 £15.75

11.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.18 £9.82

-51.44%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$1,905 £1,420

-77.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$29.2K £21.8K

-60.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$74.5 £55.6

-8.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$67.7 £50.5

-21.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$115 £85.5

-5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$109 £80.9

8.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,739 £1,296

-35.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,361 £1,015

-47.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$2,904 £2,165

-10.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$2,165 £1,614

-35.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$7,218 £5,381

-49.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$5,527 £4,121

-61.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$3,446 £2,569

-72.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

127.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Reading: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Reading

$1.4K 49.3% 91.6% $651

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Reading

$300 10.9% 6% $19

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Reading

$387 14% 94.9% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Reading

$164 6% 5.5% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Reading

$349 12.6% 177% $223

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Reading

$71 2.6% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Reading

$129 4.7% 406% $103

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,739 in Reading. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Reading pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $92 in Reading. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $300, with Reading cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Reading

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

162,666

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Reading 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Reading

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 Reading: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,763 in Reading, so Mexico City is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,739 in Reading. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 76% less than in Reading. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,905 in Reading. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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