Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $842 in Roman.

Mexico City $1,674
Roman $842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,393 in Roman.

Mexico City $2,606
Roman $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,944 in Roman.

Mexico City $3,537
Roman $1,944

Living in Mexico City is roughly 99% more expensive than in Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Roman is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$10.46 RON 49.72

1.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$33.05 RON 157

57.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.27 RON 34.54

47.59%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.54 RON 12.06

49.61%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.35 RON 6.41

19.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.04 RON 4.94

16.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.14 RON 10.17

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.18 RON 10.36

149.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.18 RON 5.62

45.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.66 RON 3.15

350.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.43 RON 6.82

34.97%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.91 RON 13.84

-4.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$7.85 RON 37.32

48.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.76 RON 27.37

64.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.25 RON 39.22

86.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.07 RON 5.07

189.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.49 RON 7.11

31.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.39 RON 6.59

42.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.83 RON 8.69

27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$0.68 RON 3.25

197.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.83 RON 3.94

119.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.81 RON 3.86

90.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.73 RON 3.45

79.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.32 RON 25.27

0.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$5.38 RON 25.59

200.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$0.96 RON 4.56

104.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.17 RON 5.58

271.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.74 RON 3.53

-59.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$20.48 RON 97.4

-4.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.65 RON 3.11

195.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.65 RON 3.08

-27.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$7.36 RON 34.98

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.82 RON 8.66

-18.68%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$28.3K RON 134.6K

-24.51%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$24.7K RON 117.6K

-4.01%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$147 RON 699

-57.86%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$6.70 RON 31.85

324.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$8.03 RON 38.18

324.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$37.42 RON 178

56.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$17.23 RON 81.9

42.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$6.26 RON 29.73

5.27%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$290 RON 1,377

49.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$6,433 RON 30.6K

118.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$96.0 RON 456

-28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$25.20 RON 120

117.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$61.6 RON 293

80.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$58.4 RON 278

98.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$213 RON 1,015

452.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$159 RON 754

385.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$611 RON 2,906

320.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$459 RON 2,181

209.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,818 RON 8,643

97.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,519 RON 7,220

35.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$828 RON 3,935

21.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

7.2

57.64%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Roman

$159 18.8% 79.4% $612

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Roman

$176 20.8% 45.8% $148

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Roman

$161 19.1% 19.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Roman

$109 12.9% 31.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Roman

$162 19.2% 29.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Roman

$50 5.9% 30.2% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Roman

$27 3.3% 9.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $213 in Roman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 21% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $33 in Roman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $176 per month, with Roman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

05:18 5:18 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

80,328

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Roman 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $842 in Roman, so Roman is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $213 in Roman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 5% less than in Roman. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $290 in Roman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $842 in Roman versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Roman but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Roman 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 – Roman wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.