Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $310 in Shimla.

Mexico City $1,608
Shimla $310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $504 in Shimla.

Mexico City $2,549
Shimla $504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $698 in Shimla.

Mexico City $3,490
Shimla $698

Living in Mexico City is roughly 419% more expensive than in Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Shimla is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.56 ₹148

580.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$10.47 ₹994

361.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.09 ₹294

234.95%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$0.92 ₹87.1

301.09%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.34 ₹32.11

391.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.11 ₹10.39

1054.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.64 ₹156

94.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.07 ₹196

156.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$0.67 ₹64.0

156.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.42 ₹40.25

623.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$0.63 ₹60.2

207.94%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$0.89 ₹84.9

224.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$4.33 ₹411

153.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.18 ₹302

190.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.87 ₹178

63.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$0.76 ₹71.9

155.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$0.63 ₹60.0

222.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$0.48 ₹45.38

381.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.30 ₹28.64

580.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.36 ₹34.25

400.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.22 ₹20.93

572.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.27 ₹25.55

370.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.38 ₹321

56.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.57 ₹814

87.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.54 ₹147

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.04 ₹194

108.33%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.80 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.22 ₹20.92

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$7.84 ₹745

151.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$1.07 ₹102

71.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.34 ₹31.84

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$1.02 ₹97.2

419.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.09 ₹104

38.53%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$8,462 ₹803.5K

157.08%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$18.1K ₹1.7M

32.78%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$18.17 ₹1,725

246.62%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$3.13 ₹297

775.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$7.02 ₹667

408.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$13.85 ₹1,315

325.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$10.63 ₹1,009

122.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$3.07 ₹291

108.47%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$42.11 ₹3,998

924.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$2,173 ₹206.3K

425.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$24.76 ₹2,351

175.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$21.97 ₹2,086

141.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$39.31 ₹3,733

174.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$26.41 ₹2,508

344.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$86.4 ₹8,199

1189.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$53.3 ₹5,060

1233.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$199 ₹18.9K

1201.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$125 ₹11.9K

1025.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$563 ₹53.4K

545.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$563 ₹53.4K

279.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$612 ₹58.1K

54.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.25

37.58%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Shimla

$53 17.2% 92.5% $657

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Shimla

$99 32.1% 68.9% $220

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Shimla

$47 15.1% 76.4% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Shimla

$51 16.3% 67.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 77.5% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 72.1% $52

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 54.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $86 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 55% 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $10 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $99 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

14:33 2:33 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Mexico City Shimla 14,380 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $310 in Shimla, so Shimla is about 81% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 55% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $86 in Shimla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shimla runs roughly 60% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $42 in Shimla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $310 in Shimla versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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.

Expats usually find Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.