Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Riffa

For one person, living is cheaper in Riffa: $1,211 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,211 in Riffa.

Mexico City $1,548
Riffa $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,868 in Riffa.

Mexico City $2,436
Riffa $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,525 in Riffa.

Mexico City $3,323
Riffa $2,525

Living in Mexico City is roughly 28% more expensive than in Riffa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Riffa is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$5.23 BHD 1.97

110.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$38.96 BHD 14.70

24.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.08 BHD 2.30

79.28%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.04 BHD 1.52

-8.91%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.68 BHD 0.26

139.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.27 BHD 0.10

362.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$6.43 BHD 2.43

-49.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$8.16 BHD 3.08

-32.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.38 BHD 0.52

23.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.63 BHD 0.24

379.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.81 BHD 0.68

6.08%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.30 BHD 0.87

18.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.84 BHD 2.96

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.92 BHD 2.23

60.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$8.38 BHD 3.16

71.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.31 BHD 0.87

30.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.73 BHD 0.65

9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.80 BHD 0.68

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.05 BHD 0.40

108.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.00 BHD 0.38

92.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.67 BHD 0.25

179.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.54 BHD 0.20

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.55 BHD 0.21

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.43 BHD 2.05

-3.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$13.12 BHD 4.95

23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.80 BHD 0.68

5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.59 BHD 0.98

62.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.81 BHD 0.31

-58.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$35.72 BHD 13.48

-44.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.44 BHD 2.05

-63.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$3.42 BHD 1.29

-84.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$10.40 BHD 3.93

-48.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$0.49 BHD 0.19

210.20%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$22.5K BHD 8,506

-2.05%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$20.1K BHD 7,597

21.76%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$133 BHD 50.3

-54.18%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$24.43 BHD 9.22

16.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$34.66 BHD 13.08

-0.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$72.9 BHD 27.51

-22.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$13.45 BHD 5.08

84.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$10.52 BHD 3.97

-36.69%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$481 BHD 182

-11.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$5,589 BHD 2,109

108.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$28.99 BHD 10.94

133.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$21.34 BHD 8.06

143.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$66.4 BHD 25.06

59.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$39.70 BHD 14.98

183.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$916 BHD 346

11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$429 BHD 162

52.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,535 BHD 579

50.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$862 BHD 325

44.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,392 BHD 525

-30.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.5

105.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Riffa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Riffa

$429 35.5% 34.4% $225

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Riffa

$203 16.7% 36.3% $115

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Riffa

$161 13.3% 21.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Riffa

$70 5.8% 53.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Riffa

$192 15.9% 55% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Riffa

$94 7.8% 34.8% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Riffa

$61 5.1% 140% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $916 in Riffa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riffa pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $39.00 in Riffa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $203 per month, with Riffa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇭 Riffa

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

02:30 2:30 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

121,566

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Riffa 13,980 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Riffa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Riffa differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,211 including rent). Riffa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Riffa. 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 $916 in Riffa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Riffa runs roughly 82% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $481 in Riffa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,211 in Riffa versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Riffa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Riffa 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 Riffa 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 Riffa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.