Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Rota

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,657 in Rota, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Rota outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Rota
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Rota Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Rota

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,657 in Rota.

Mexico City $1,608
Rota $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,448 in Rota.

Mexico City $2,549
Rota $2,448

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,240 in Rota.

Mexico City $3,490
Rota $3,240

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 3% less than in Rota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Rota 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$16.95 €15.19

-37.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$62.8 €56.3

-23.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$12.31 €11.03

-15.92%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.20 €1.97

67.73%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$2.71 €2.43

-38.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.91 €1.72

-33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.45 €3.10

-7.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$4.61 €4.13

15.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.18 €1.06

45.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.45 €1.30

109.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.77 €1.59

9.60%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.33 €2.98

-13.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$15.49 €13.88

-29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$7.99 €7.16

15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$15.24 €13.65

-0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.56 €2.30

19.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.97 €1.76

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.76 €1.58

15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.56 €2.30

-9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.63 €1.46

25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.07 €1.85

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.26 €1.12

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.71 €0.63

78.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$6.44 €5.77

-17.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.57 €5.89

145.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.19 €1.06

66.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.33 €2.09

82.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.67 €1.50

-81.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$32.10 €28.77

-38.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.92 €1.72

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.23 €1.10

-56.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$22.49 €20.15

-76.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.79 €1.60

-15.64%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$33.6K €30.1K

-35.23%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$31.3K €28.0K

-23.36%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$165 €148

-61.76%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$10.89 €9.76

151.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$25.02 €22.42

42.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$44.69 €40.05

31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$15.51 €13.90

52.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$9.48 €8.50

-32.49%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$856 €767

-49.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$9,996 €8,957

14.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$89.4 €80.1

-23.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$38.64 €34.62

37.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$84.7 €75.9

27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$106 €95.1

10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$882 €791

26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$688 €617

3.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,356 €1,215

90.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,023 €917

37.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$3,235 €2,899

12.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$2,227 €1,995

-4.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.29

244.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Rota

$688 41.6% 3.1% $22

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Rota

$270 16.3% 15.6% $50

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Rota

$244 14.7% 22.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Rota

$143 8.7% 7.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Rota

$201 12.1% 59.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Rota

$64 3.8% 11.3% $8.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Rota

$47 2.8% 84.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $882 in Rota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $63 in Rota. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $270, with Rota cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇸 Rota

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

05:40 5:40 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

29,675

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Rota 8,970 km ≈ 12 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 Rota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,657 in Rota, so Mexico City is about 3% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $2,485 in Rota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $882 in Rota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 39% less than in Rota. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $856 in Rota. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

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.