Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,207 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,207 in Shiga.

Mexico City $1,608
Shiga $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,897 in Shiga.

Mexico City $2,549
Shiga $1,897

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,588 in Shiga.

Mexico City $3,490
Shiga $2,588

Living in Mexico City is roughly 33% more expensive than in Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Shiga is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$6.19 ¥977

71.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$31.73 ¥5,011

52.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.96 ¥783

108.67%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.95 ¥466

25.08%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.31 ¥206

27.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.70 ¥110

81.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.76 ¥436

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$3.53 ¥558

50.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.28 ¥203

34.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.24 ¥196

145.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$3.89 ¥614

-50.13%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.04 ¥322

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$9.45 ¥1,492

16.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$9.19 ¥1,452

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$18.48 ¥2,918

-18.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.44 ¥543

-11.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.03 ¥320

-4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$2.04 ¥323

-0.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$3.97 ¥626

-41.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$1.52 ¥240

34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$1.14 ¥180

57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.36 ¥215

8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$0.87 ¥137

45.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.97 ¥627

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$9.77 ¥1,543

64.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$1.90 ¥301

4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$3.13 ¥494

35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$1.16 ¥183

-73.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$56.2 ¥8,877

-64.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.86 ¥610

-52.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$3.20 ¥505

-83.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$21.98 ¥3,472

-75.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.09 ¥173

38.53%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$22.7K ¥3.6M

-4.08%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

57.20%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$137 ¥21.7K

-54.06%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$24.58 ¥3,882

11.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$18.76 ¥2,962

90.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$52.0 ¥8,215

13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$12.55 ¥1,982

-49.00%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$697 ¥110.1K

-38.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$13.4K ¥2.1M

-14.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$48.59 ¥7,674

40.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$30.84 ¥4,870

72.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$73.3 ¥11.6K

46.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$90.1 ¥14.2K

30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$551 ¥87.0K

102.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$337 ¥53.2K

110.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$998 ¥157.6K

159.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$727 ¥114.8K

93.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$4,617 ¥729.1K

-21.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$2,022 ¥319.3K

5.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,210 ¥191.2K

-21.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.21

413.57%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Shiga

$337 27.9% 52.6% $374

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Shiga

$294 24.4% 8% $25

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Shiga

$129 10.7% 35.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Shiga

$109 9.1% 29.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Shiga

$180 15% 43.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Shiga

$77 6.4% 7.5% $5.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Shiga

$81 6.7% 217% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $551 in Shiga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shiga pays 28% 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 $32 in Shiga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $294 per month, with Shiga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

22:08 10:08 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

23,836

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Shiga 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,207 in Shiga, so Shiga is about 25% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 22% 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 $551 in Shiga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 65% less than in Shiga. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $697 in Shiga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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