Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,144 in Side.

Mexico City $1,608
Side $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,790 in Side.

Mexico City $2,549
Side $1,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,435 in Side.

Mexico City $3,490
Side $2,435

Living in Mexico City is roughly 40% more expensive than in Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Side is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$10.26 ₺511

3.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$29.76 ₺1,483

62.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.45 ₺471

9.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.44 ₺171

7.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.19 ₺109

-23.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.39 ₺19.48

225.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$4.01 ₺200

-20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$6.07 ₺303

-12.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.07 ₺53.1

60.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$0.97 ₺48.33

213.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.61 ₺130

-25.67%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.29 ₺114

26.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$13.70 ₺683

-19.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.16 ₺307

50.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$26.79 ₺1,335

-43.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.57 ₺78.2

94.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.46 ₺123

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.39 ₺69.1

46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.27 ₺63.5

81.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.79 ₺39.51

158.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.71 ₺35.38

153.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.74 ₺87.0

-14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.76 ₺37.63

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.78 ₺139

90.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$13.85 ₺690

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.69 ₺84.1

17.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.13 ₺156

35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.69 ₺34.55

-55.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.24 ₺61.7

48.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.00 ₺49.64

-47.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$6.69 ₺333

-20.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.51 ₺75.2

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$42.1K ₺2.1M

-48.32%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$38.2K ₺1.9M

-37.29%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$76.7 ₺3,824

-17.91%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$10.57 ₺527

159.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$23.12 ₺1,152

54.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$52.8 ₺2,632

11.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$8.06 ₺402

-20.60%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$507 ₺25.3K

-14.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$10.9K ₺544.1K

4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$46.20 ₺2,302

47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$58.9 ₺2,937

-9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$157 ₺7,812

-31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$117 ₺5,842

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$420 ₺20.9K

165.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$302 ₺15.1K

135.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$761 ₺37.9K

240.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$573 ₺28.5K

145.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,431 ₺71.3K

153.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,018 ₺50.7K

109.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

38.25

-70.33%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Side

$302 26.4% 57.4% $408

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Side

$289 25.3% 9.6% $31

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Side

$194 17% 2.2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Side

$171 14.9% 9.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Side

$110 9.7% 12.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Side

$69 6% 3.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Side

$9 * 0.8% 64.7% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $420 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $30 in Side for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $289 per month, with Side cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

23:32 11:32 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Side 11,890 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,144 in Side, so Side is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,717 in Side 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $420 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $507 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Side – a meal for two runs $30 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,144 in Side versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Side but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Side 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.