Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
Learn more

Shiso Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,048 in Shiso.

Mexico City $1,548
Shiso $1,048

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,913 in Shiso.

Mexico City $2,436
Shiso $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,777 in Shiso.

Mexico City $3,323
Shiso $2,777

Living in Mexico City is roughly 48% more expensive than in Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Shiso is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.87 ¥1,244

40.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-28.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.29 ¥993

73.29%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.69 ¥584

-0.27%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.83 ¥132

96.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.72 ¥114

73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.58 ¥407

25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.15 ¥497

75.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.52 ¥240

11.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.00 ¥474

0.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.87 ¥769

-60.57%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.19 ¥346

24.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.19 ¥1,609

15.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.48 ¥1,023

47.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$27.01 ¥4,267

-46.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$5.33 ¥842

-43.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.59 ¥409

-27.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.06 ¥641

-50.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$5.97 ¥943

-63.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$4.29 ¥678

-55.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.60 ¥411

-28.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.38 ¥218

4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.83 ¥130

53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.11 ¥650

27.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.66 ¥1,211

111.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.92 ¥303

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.22 ¥351

90.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.36 ¥216

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$33.90 ¥5,356

-42.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.57 ¥564

-43.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.88 ¥455

-81.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$20.87 ¥3,297

-74.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.28 ¥202

18.75%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

-3.58%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

44.34%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$144 ¥22.8K

-57.70%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$23.93 ¥3,781

19.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$13.58 ¥2,146

153.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$36.74 ¥5,805

53.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$13.71 ¥2,167

81.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$4.59 ¥726

45.10%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$283 ¥44.8K

50.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

-14.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$10.06 ¥1,589

573.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$29.87 ¥4,720

73.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$33.76 ¥5,334

214.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$99.7 ¥15.7K

12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$470 ¥74.3K

117.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$165 ¥26.0K

297.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$862 ¥136.1K

167.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$659 ¥104.2K

88.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

-14.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

9.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

1.78

534.83%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 74.8% $490

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 15.8% $50

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 25.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 48.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 46.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 34.1% $24

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 124% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $470 in Shiso. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $68.0 in Shiso for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $368 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

36,610

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Shiso 11,730 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Shiso differ by about 48% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,048 including rent). Shiso is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,572 in Shiso to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $470 in Shiso. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Shiso runs roughly 73% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $283 in Shiso. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,048 in Shiso versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Shiso but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Shiso 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 Shiso 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 Shiso gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.