Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $885 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $885 in Sari.

Mexico City $1,567
Sari $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,092 in Sari.

Mexico City $2,450
Sari $1,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,299 in Sari.

Mexico City $3,333
Sari $1,299

Living in Mexico City is roughly 77% more expensive than in Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Sari is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.83 $3.83

180.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$11.96 $11.96

320.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$3.90 $3.90

184.62%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 $0.85

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.29 $1.29

185.27%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.48 $0.48

243.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.56 $0.56

132.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.48 $0.48

268.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$0.61 $0.61

400.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.30 $3.30

-39.09%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$1.23 $1.23

125.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$4.55 $4.55

161.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$3.39 $3.39

175.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$9.16 $9.16

63.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$1.34 $1.34

129.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.88 $1.88

3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.19 $1.19

70.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$0.64 $0.64

245.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$0.54 $0.54

274.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$0.51 $0.51

256.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.54 $0.54

181.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.28 $0.28

357.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$2.44 $2.44

115.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$9.88 $9.88

100.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.51 $0.51

292.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.31 $0.31

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$3.08 $3.08

82.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.08 $0.08

1800.00%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$50.9K $50.9K

-58.68%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$44.8K $44.8K

-43.74%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$12.89 $12.89

384.79%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$1.64 $1.64

1654.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$3.78 $3.78

811.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$50.8 $50.8

12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$12.17 $12.17

103.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$0.97 $0.97

587.63%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$50.8 $50.8

747.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$805 $805

1357.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$26.52 $26.52

166.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$38.07 $38.07

36.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$116 $116

-5.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$74.6 $74.6

50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$799 $799

31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$504 $504

31.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$688 $688

240.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$404 $404

203.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$849 $849

318.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$516 $516

283.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$248 $248

292.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

24.79

-54.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sari: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Sari

$504 57% 24.2% $161

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Sari

$121 13.7% 62.5% $202

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Sari

$62 7% 69.5% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Sari

$115 13% 25.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Sari

$18 2.1% 85.4% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Sari

$53 6% 25.2% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 53.6% $14

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $799 in Sari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 293% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $12.00 in Sari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $121 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

05:07 5:07 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

300,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sari 13,140 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sari

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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Sari differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $885 including rent). Sari is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 293% 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $799 in Sari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sari runs roughly 101% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $50.8 in Sari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Sari versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sari 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Sari are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sari gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.