Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Roatan

For one person, living is cheaper in Roatan: $1,228 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
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Roatan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,228 in Roatan.

Mexico City $1,608
Roatan $1,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,000 in Roatan.

Mexico City $2,549
Roatan $2,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,773 in Roatan.

Mexico City $3,490
Roatan $2,773

Living in Mexico City is roughly 31% more expensive than in Roatan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Roatan is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$8.18 HNL 220

29.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$40.19 HNL 1,080

20.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.59 HNL 231

20.49%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.28 HNL 115

-13.79%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.95 HNL 25.49

75.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.86 HNL 23.21

47.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.51 HNL 67.6

27.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$5.15 HNL 138

3.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.44 HNL 38.73

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$3.15 HNL 84.8

-3.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.46 HNL 66.2

-21.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.97 HNL 53.0

46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.17 HNL 300

-1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.46 HNL 174

43.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$17.61 HNL 473

-14.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.12 HNL 30.10

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.12 HNL 30.18

81.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.52 HNL 14.04

344.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.63 HNL 43.84

25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.49 HNL 40.10

20.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.17 HNL 31.41

26.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.93 HNL 78.8

-56.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.92 HNL 78.4

81.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.91 HNL 212

103.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.33 HNL 35.77

48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.59 HNL 69.5

64.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.06 HNL 55.3

-10.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$10.14 HNL 272

-47.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.03 HNL 27.63

46.60%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$29.5K HNL 793.4K

-18.78%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

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

$27.39 MX$511

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$99.6 HNL 2,675

-64.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$61.2 HNL 1,644

-3.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

$505 HNL 13.6K

-14.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$40.37 HNL 1,084

68.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$19.93 HNL 535

166.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$39.69 HNL 1,066

171.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$50.2 HNL 1,349

133.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$838 HNL 22.5K

32.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$553 HNL 14.9K

28.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,968 HNL 52.9K

31.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,236 HNL 33.2K

13.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,906 HNL 51.2K

90.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,323 HNL 35.5K

61.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$497 HNL 13.3K

90.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-36.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roatan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Roatan

$553 45.1% 22.2% $157

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Roatan

$272 * 22.1% 15% $48

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Roatan

$173 14.1% 13.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Roatan

$68 5.5% 56.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Roatan

$100 * 8.1% 21% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Roatan

$61 * 5% 14.7% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Roatan

$2.1 * 0.2% 91.9% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $838 in Roatan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $40 in Roatan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $272 per month, with Roatan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇭🇳 Roatan

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

17,425

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.87 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 29.91 HNL (100 HNL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Roatan 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Roatan

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 Roatan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,228 in Roatan, so Roatan is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Mexico City, 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 $838 in Roatan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $505 in Roatan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Roatan – a meal for two runs $40 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,228 in Roatan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Roatan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Roatan 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.

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