Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Road Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,593 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Road Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $2,593 in Road Town.

Mexico City $1,674
Road Town $2,593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $4,460 in Road Town.

Mexico City $2,606
Road Town $4,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $6,327 in Road Town.

Mexico City $3,537
Road Town $6,327

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 35% less than in Road Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Road Town 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$17.47 $17.47

-39.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$80.2 $80.2

-35.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$7.92 $7.92

35.48%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$4.60 $4.60

-17.39%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.67 $1.67

-3.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.98 $0.98

23.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$4.07 $4.07

-21.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$1.81 $1.81

200.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$2.25 $2.25

-23.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$4.71 $4.71

-36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$3.05 $3.05

-36.72%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$5.02 $5.02

-44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$3.69 $3.69

-15.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$3.39 $3.39

-42.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.04 $2.04

-2.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$6.63 $6.63

-64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$4.79 $4.79

-57.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$3.96 $3.96

-54.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$6.24 $6.24

-75.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.91 $1.91

-31.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$5.37 $5.37

-0.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$10.95 $10.95

47.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$4.37 $4.37

-93.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.23 $1.23

20.33%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$160 $160

-61.28%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$90.3 $90.3

-68.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$124 $124

-72.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$118 $118

-50.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$20.09 $20.09

21.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$9.82 $9.82

-32.89%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$377 $377

15.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$15.0K $15.0K

-6.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$46.66 $46.66

46.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$54.5 $54.5

0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$128 $128

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$141 $141

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$1,695 $1,695

-30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$1,369 $1,369

-43.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$4,311 $4,311

-40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$3,608 $3,608

-60.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$1,698 $1,698

-40.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Road Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Road Town

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Road Town

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Road Town

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Road Town

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Road Town

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Road Town

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Road Town

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $1,695 in Road Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Road Town pays 69% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $80 in Road Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $274, with Road Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇬 Road Town

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

12,603 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Road Town 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Road Town

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 Road Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,593 in Road Town, so Mexico City is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,695 in Road Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $377 in Road Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $80 in Road Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Road Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.