Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rochester

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,132 in Rochester, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
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Rochester Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,132 in Rochester.

Mexico City $1,548
Rochester $2,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,270 in Rochester.

Mexico City $2,436
Rochester $3,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,408 in Rochester.

Mexico City $3,323
Rochester $4,408

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 27% less than in Rochester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Rochester 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$25.66 £19.25

-57.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$95.2 £71.4

-48.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.06 £7.55

8.35%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.99 £3.74

-26.25%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.35 £1.76

-30.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$2.38 £1.79

-47.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.21 £3.91

-37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.68 £3.51

18.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.81 £1.36

-6.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.02 £1.52

49.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.12 £1.59

-9.43%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.55 £2.66

-23.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$6.21 £4.66

89.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.46 £5.60

27.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.78 £11.09

-2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.78 £2.09

8.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.90 £1.42

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.30 £1.72

-13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.29 £2.47

-33.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.94 £1.45

-1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.20 £0.90

55.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.20 £0.90

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.73 £1.30

-26.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$24.04 £18.04

-78.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$10.67 £8.01

51.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$3.06 £2.30

-37.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.15 £2.36

33.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$4.10 £3.07

-91.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.09 £3.82

-60.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.67 £2.00

-80.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$39.41 £29.57

-86.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.12 £1.59

-28.30%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$38.0K £28.5K

-41.93%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-39.19%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$230 £173

-73.50%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$16.51 £12.39

73.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$36.34 £27.27

-5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$39.16 £29.38

43.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$17.33 £13.00

-61.57%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$1,310 £983

-67.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$30.8K £23.1K

-62.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$91.7 £68.8

-26.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$46.03 £34.53

12.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$103 £77.6

2.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$91.3 £68.5

23.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,536 £1,152

-33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$952 £714

-31.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,079 £1,560

11.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,695 £1,271

-26.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$5,339 £4,005

-32.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$4,521 £3,392

-57.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,403 £2,553

-71.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.12

120.70%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rochester: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Rochester

$952 44.7% 45.5% $297

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Rochester

$289 13.6% 9.2% $29

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Rochester

$350 16.4% 71.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Rochester

$150 7% 1.7% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Rochester

$283 13.3% 128% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Rochester

$74 3.5% 5.9% $4.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Rochester

$35 * 1.6% 35.9% $9.2

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,536 in Rochester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester pays 253% 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 $95.0 in Rochester. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $289, with Rochester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇬🇧 Rochester

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

62,982

💱 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Rochester 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Rochester

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 Rochester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Rochester differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,132 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 253% lower in Rochester. 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 $1,536 in Rochester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $1,310 in Rochester. 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 $49.00 versus $95.0 in Rochester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,132 in Rochester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Rochester. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Rochester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.