Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Salwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Salwa: $1,325 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Salwa
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Salwa Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Salwa

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,325 in Salwa.

Mexico City $1,608
Salwa $1,325

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,235 in Salwa.

Mexico City $2,549
Salwa $2,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,145 in Salwa.

Mexico City $3,490
Salwa $3,145

Living in Mexico City is roughly 21% more expensive than in Salwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Salwa is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$12.61 KWD 3.89

-15.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$64.1 KWD 19.75

-24.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.53 KWD 2.01

58.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 KWD 1.01

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 KWD 1.48

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$5.25 KWD 1.62

-29.71%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.49 KWD 0.15

240.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.29 KWD 0.09

337.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.59 KWD 0.49

8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.69 KWD 0.21

340.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.76 KWD 0.23

155.26%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.96 KWD 0.60

47.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$4.23 KWD 1.31

159.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.60 KWD 2.03

40.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.32 KWD 3.18

46.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.48 KWD 0.76

22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.94 KWD 0.60

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.87 KWD 0.58

8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.84 KWD 0.26

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.66 KWD 0.20

209.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.49 KWD 0.46

20.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.26 KWD 0.70

-34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.49 KWD 0.15

159.18%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.27 KWD 1.01

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 KWD 0.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.68 KWD 0.83

97.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.82 KWD 0.25

-62.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.30 KWD 1.02

-44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$3.17 KWD 0.98

-83.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$16.05 KWD 4.95

-66.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.33 KWD 0.10

357.58%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$23.6K KWD 7,277

-7.87%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$17.6K KWD 5,428

36.20%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$65.8 KWD 20.27

-4.24%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$22.27 KWD 6.86

22.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$30.05 KWD 9.26

18.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$98.2 KWD 30.25

-39.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$9.90 KWD 3.05

138.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.08 KWD 4.03

-51.07%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$495 KWD 153

-12.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$9,455 KWD 2,914

20.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$37.43 KWD 11.54

82.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$39.86 KWD 12.29

33.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$80.9 KWD 24.92

33.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$64.3 KWD 19.81

82.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$807 KWD 249

38.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$608 KWD 187

16.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,745 KWD 538

48.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,358 KWD 418

3.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,543 KWD 1,092

-73.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.53

73.81%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Salwa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Salwa

$608 45.9% 14.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Salwa

$166 12.5% 48.1% $154

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Salwa

$187 14.1% 6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Salwa

$100 7.6% 35.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Salwa

$118 8.9% 6.3% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Salwa

$124 9.4% 73.3% $53

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Salwa

$22 * 1.7% 11.9% $3

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 $807 in Salwa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salwa pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $64 in Salwa. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $166, with Salwa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇼 Salwa

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

16:55 4:55 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,945

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR 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 = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Salwa 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Salwa

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 Salwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,325 in Salwa, so Salwa is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $807 in Salwa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $495 in Salwa. 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 $48 versus $64 in Salwa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Salwa 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.