Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sahiwal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sahiwal: $498 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Sahiwal, Pakistan
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Sahiwal
🇵🇰 Pakistan
$498
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $498 in Sahiwal.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Sahiwal $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $755 in Sahiwal.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Sahiwal $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,013 in Sahiwal.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Sahiwal $1,013

Living in Mexico City is roughly 223% more expensive than in Sahiwal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sahiwal is 63% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$2.57 PKR 711
313.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$14.34 PKR 3,963
237.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$5.67 PKR 1,568
82.54%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.58 PKR 989
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.36 PKR 1,483
-
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.7
$2.62 PKR 724
40.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.05
$0.37 PKR 103
351.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.58
$0.26 PKR 72.1
388.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.13
$0.97 PKR 268
77.32%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.6
$0.73 PKR 201
316.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$1.24 PKR 342
56.45%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$1.20 PKR 332
140.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$6.40 PKR 1,768
71.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$2.49 PKR 688
271.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$4.97 PKR 1,375
204.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$1.18 PKR 326
158.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$0.70 PKR 192
177.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.73
$0.83 PKR 230
144.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.12
$0.60 PKR 165
285.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.91
$0.31 PKR 86.1
558.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.53
$0.36 PKR 99.5
400.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.56
$0.48 PKR 131
208.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.62
$0.35 PKR 96.2
262.86%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.07 PKR 295
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.60 PKR 166
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 PKR 476
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.8
$2.13 PKR 588
148.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.95
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.2
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.68
$0.18 PKR 50.8
72.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$11.05 PKR 3,056
78.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.23
$0.88 PKR 242
109.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$0.74 PKR 204
-28.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$1.83 PKR 506
189.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.14
$1.34 PKR 371
12.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.3K
$17.9K PKR 5.0M
21.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.9K
$23.7K PKR 6.6M
1.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,173
$125 PKR 34.6K
-49.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$510
$5.74 PKR 1,587
377.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$664
$16.23 PKR 4,487
119.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,098
$12.76 PKR 3,527
361.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$7.53 PKR 2,083
213.94%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$4.40 PKR 1,217
45.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,041
$75.0 PKR 20.7K
475.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.8K
$2,068 PKR 571.7K
452.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,271
$17.74 PKR 4,904
284.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$27.98 PKR 7,735
89.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,008
$72.6 PKR 20.1K
48.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,185
$32.21 PKR 8,906
264.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$125 PKR 34.6K
789.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$76.5 PKR 21.1K
828.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$307 PKR 84.9K
742.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$177 PKR 49.0K
693.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.6K
$696 PKR 192.5K
421.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$471 PKR 130.1K
353.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Sahiwal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
14.05
-19.22%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sahiwal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Sahiwal
$77 89.2% $634
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Sahiwal
$97 69.5% $222
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Sahiwal
$72 64% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Sahiwal
$68 56.5% $88
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Sahiwal
$147 16.7% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Sahiwal
$22 69.9% $50
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Sahiwal
$16 35.7% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $125 in Sahiwal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in Sahiwal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $97 per month, with Sahiwal cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇰 Sahiwal
🕒 Local time
23:08 11:08 PM
10:08 10:08 AM
11 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
389,605
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Sahiwal 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Sahiwal

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 Sahiwal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Sahiwal?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $498 in Sahiwal, so Sahiwal is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Sahiwal?
You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $747 in Sahiwal 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Sahiwal?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $125 in Sahiwal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Sahiwal?
A monthly transit pass in Sahiwal runs roughly 44% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Sahiwal?
Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $75 in Sahiwal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $498 in Sahiwal versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sahiwal but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sahiwal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Sahiwal?
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.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Sahiwal?
Expats usually find Sahiwal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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