Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $442 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $442 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Mexico City $1,608
Sharm El Sheikh $442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $674 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Mexico City $2,549
Sharm El Sheikh $674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $905 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Mexico City $3,490
Sharm El Sheikh $905

Living in Mexico City is roughly 264% more expensive than in Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Sharm El Sheikh is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$21.07 E£1,179

129.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.46 E£249

132.06%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$2.17 E£121

70.05%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.33 E£18.71

406.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.51 E£28.56

149.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.46 E£194

-7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$4.36 E£244

21.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.83 E£46.18

107.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$0.42 E£23.72

361.90%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.08 E£60.4

167.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.46 E£193

167.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.39 E£77.7

119.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.45 E£25.38

331.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.42 E£23.77

383.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.26 E£14.41

788.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$2.06 E£115

157.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.39 E£77.9

42.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.08 E£4.38

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.43 E£24.07

251.16%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$29.6K E£1.7M

-26.61%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$20.4K E£1.1M

17.63%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

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

$27.39 MX$514

$10.80 E£604

153.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$27.30 E£1,528

30.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,103

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$337 E£18.8K

230.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$284 E£15.9K

150.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$588 E£32.9K

340.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$506 E£28.3K

177.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$950 E£53.2K

282.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$663 E£37.1K

222.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$141 E£7,907

569.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

26.5

-57.17%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $21 in Sharm El Sheikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $51 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

18:34 6:34 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

38,478

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Sharm El Sheikh 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $442 in Sharm El Sheikh, so Sharm El Sheikh is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 6.7 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 $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $21 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $442 in Sharm El Sheikh – Sharm El Sheikh is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $442 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh 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 – Sharm El Sheikh wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.