Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
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Sabratha Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $406 in Sabratha.

Mexico City $1,608
Sabratha $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $596 in Sabratha.

Mexico City $2,549
Sabratha $596

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $785 in Sabratha.

Mexico City $3,490
Sabratha $785

Living in Mexico City is roughly 296% more expensive than in Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sabratha is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$3.03 LYD 19.40

250.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$9.55 LYD 61.2

406.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$1.54 LYD 9.87

572.08%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 LYD 4.33

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$0.44 LYD 2.83

738.64%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.32 LYD 2.07

421.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.09 LYD 0.57

1311.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.92 LYD 5.87

86.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1420.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.10 LYD 7.06

76.36%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.41 LYD 9.01

104.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$5.23 LYD 33.54

109.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.50 LYD 22.43

164.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.32 LYD 59.7

62.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.00 LYD 12.79

52.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.54 LYD 9.86

25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.69 LYD 4.44

194.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.60 LYD 3.85

285.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.48 LYD 3.10

325.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.32 LYD 2.06

462.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.30 LYD 1.89

393.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.17 LYD 1.09

647.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 LYD 5.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LYD 5.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$1.89 LYD 12.09

180.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.82 LYD 5.25

-62.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.81 LYD 5.18

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.32 LYD 2.06

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$0.76 LYD 4.84

597.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.02 LYD 0.11

7450.00%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$23.2K LYD 149.0K

-6.43%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$21.4K LYD 137.2K

12.06%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$91.9 LYD 589

-31.46%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$3.80 LYD 24.38

620.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$13.86 LYD 88.9

157.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$11.06 LYD 70.9

432.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$7.61 LYD 48.79

210.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,045

$39.49 LYD 253

992.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$946 LYD 6,064

1107.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$19.10 LYD 122

257.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$17.32 LYD 111

206.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$64.7 LYD 415

66.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$15.66 LYD 100

648.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$157 LYD 1,006

609.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$78.6 LYD 504

803.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$232 LYD 1,487

1015.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$108 LYD 694

1198.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$280 LYD 1,796

1195.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$189 LYD 1,208

1032.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$187 LYD 1,201

404.93%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sabratha

$79 19.4% 88.9% $632

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sabratha

$113 27.7% 64.7% $207

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sabratha

$36 8.8% 82% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sabratha

$53 13% 66.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sabratha

$110 27% 13.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 84.6% $61

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sabratha

$5.7 * 1.4% 77.7% $20

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 $157 in Sabratha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $10 in Sabratha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $113 per month, with Sabratha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

83,398

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, 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).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sabratha 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $406 in Sabratha, so Sabratha is about 75% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 5 times higher, 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 $157 in Sabratha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $39 in Sabratha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sabratha – a meal for two runs $10 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $406 in Sabratha versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Sabratha but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sabratha 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 – Sabratha wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.