Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $574 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $574 in Seria.

Mexico City $1,674
Seria $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $915 in Seria.

Mexico City $2,606
Seria $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,256 in Seria.

Mexico City $3,537
Seria $1,256

Living in Mexico City is roughly 191% more expensive than in Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Seria is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.21 BND 4.10

229.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$27.27 BND 34.85

90.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$5.53 BND 7.06

94.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 BND 2.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 BND 3.02

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$3.96 BND 5.06

-4.04%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.95 BND 1.21

69.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.54 BND 0.69

124.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.83 BND 2.33

-6.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.50 BND 1.92

98.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$1.25 BND 1.60

54.40%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.43 BND 1.83

93.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$6.36 BND 8.12

83.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.58 BND 5.85

106.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$10.60 BND 13.55

45.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$3.20 BND 4.09

-3.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$2.22 BND 2.84

-11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$3.00 BND 3.84

-34.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$2.57 BND 3.28

-8.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.75 BND 2.23

15.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$2.03 BND 2.59

-10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$3.70 BND 4.73

-58.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.80 BND 1.03

63.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.46 BND 29.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 BND 1.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$15.55 BND 19.86

-65.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$3.88 BND 4.95

-50.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$3.37 BND 4.31

-86.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$11.50 BND 14.69

-52.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$0.32 BND 0.41

362.50%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$43.3K BND 55.3K

-50.61%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$36.3K BND 46.4K

-34.53%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$62.5 BND 79.8

-0.75%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$15.63 BND 19.98

82.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$65.8 BND 84.1

-48.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$27.00 BND 34.50

116.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$5.36 BND 6.85

22.95%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$214 BND 274

102.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$9,691 BND 12.4K

44.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$30.79 BND 39.34

121.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$27.36 BND 34.96

100.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$51.1 BND 65.3

117.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$47.63 BND 60.9

143.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$710 BND 907

41.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.88

192.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Seria: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Seria

$206 35.8% 36.4% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Seria

$96 16.7% 52.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Seria

$71 12.3% 55.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Seria

$144 25.1% 15.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Seria

$38 6.6% 47.3% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Seria

$21 * 3.6% 17% $4.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays 41% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $27 in Seria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $206 per month, with Seria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

22:01 10:01 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

30,097

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Seria 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $574 in Seria, so Seria is about 66% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% 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.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $214 in Seria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seria – a meal for two runs $27 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $574 in Seria versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Seria but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Seria 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 – Seria wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.