Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Retford

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,255 in Retford, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Retford
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Retford Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Retford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,255 in Retford.

Mexico City $1,548
Retford $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,343 in Retford.

Mexico City $2,436
Retford $3,343

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,432 in Retford.

Mexico City $3,323
Retford $4,432

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in Retford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Retford 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$14.72 £11.04

-25.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$66.5 £49.87

-26.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.14 £5.36

52.66%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.88 £2.91

-5.15%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.75 £1.31

-6.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.78 £1.33

-29.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$4.30 £3.22

-24.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.34 £3.26

27.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.72 £1.29

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.83 £1.38

65.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.64 £1.23

17.07%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.66 £3.50

-41.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.18 £8.39

5.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$10.16 £7.62

-6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.50 £9.38

15.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.09 £1.56

44.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.80 £1.35

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.76 £1.32

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.74 £1.31

25.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.48 £1.11

29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.58 £1.19

18.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.42 £0.31

242.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.56 £1.17

-18.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$23.33 £17.50

-77.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.77 £5.83

108.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.70 £1.27

11.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.04 £1.53

106.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$3.65 £2.74

-90.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$108 £80.7

-81.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.93 £3.70

-59.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$3.91 £2.93

-86.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$28.85 £21.64

-81.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.09 £1.57

-27.27%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$40.1K £30.1K

-45.00%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$44.2K £33.2K

-44.56%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$342 £257

-82.14%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$27.87 £20.91

2.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$46.53 £34.91

-25.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$52.7 £39.53

6.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.50 £8.62

-42.09%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,926 £1,445

-77.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$23.9K £17.9K

-51.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$85.1 £63.9

-20.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$60.8 £45.59

-14.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$109 £81.4

-2.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$161 £121

-30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,398 £1,049

-26.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$924 £693

-29.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,099 £1,575

9.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,675 £1,257

-25.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$5,059 £3,796

-28.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,851 £2,889

-49.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,711 £1,283

-43.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.3

113.21%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Retford: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Retford

$924 41% 41.2% $270

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Retford

$276 12.2% 13.3% $42

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Retford

$230 10.2% 12.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Retford

$187 8.3% 22.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Retford

$416 18.5% 235% $292

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Retford

$76 3.4% 8.6% $6

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Retford

$147 6.5% 472% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,398 in Retford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Retford pays 77% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $66.0 in Retford. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $276, with Retford cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Retford

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

03:48 3:48 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

22,023

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Retford 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Retford

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 Retford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Retford differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,255 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Retford. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,398 in Retford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 447% less than in Retford. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,926 in Retford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,255 in Retford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Retford. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Retford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Retford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.