Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $818 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
Learn more

Siem Reap Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Siem Reap

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $818 in Siem Reap.

Mexico City $1,608
Siem Reap $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,338 in Siem Reap.

Mexico City $2,549
Siem Reap $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,858 in Siem Reap.

Mexico City $3,490
Siem Reap $1,858

Living in Mexico City is roughly 97% more expensive than in Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Siem Reap is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$2.51 ៛10.2K

323.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$23.83 ៛97.1K

102.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.06 ៛32.8K

28.41%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.67 ៛6,786

120.96%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.71 ៛2,888

135.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.40 ៛1,625

217.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.03 ៛4,188

209.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$1.98 ៛8,075

168.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.18 ៛8,872

-21.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.74 ៛7,075

74.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.94 ៛3,822

106.38%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.75 ៛7,117

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$15.24 ៛62.1K

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$2.95 ៛12.0K

213.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.07 ៛41.0K

50.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$4.23 ៛17.2K

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.28 ៛5,225

51.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$3.83 ៛15.6K

-47.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.05 ៛4,282

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$1.32 ៛5,375

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$1.11 ៛4,527

62.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.29 ៛5,262

14.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.80 ៛3,241

58.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.42 ៛5,770

273.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$8.11 ៛33.0K

98.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.00 ៛4,068

98.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.32 ៛9,446

83.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.03 ៛4,176

-69.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$15.11 ៛61.6K

30.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.01 ៛8,207

-8.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.01 ៛4,132

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.08 ៛20.7K

4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.24 ៛5,063

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$24.7K ៛100.6M

-11.90%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$22.7K ៛92.4M

5.71%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$101 ៛410.6K

-37.51%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$5.53 ៛22.5K

395.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$15.38 ៛62.6K

131.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$33.19 ៛135.2K

77.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$13.75 ៛56.0K

71.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.14 ៛20.9K

24.51%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$286 ៛1.2M

50.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$4,379 ៛17.8M

160.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$26.54 ៛108.1K

157.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$13.43 ៛54.7K

295.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$67.5 ៛274.7K

59.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$44.82 ៛182.6K

161.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$337 ៛1.4M

230.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$244 ៛992.7K

191.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$685 ៛2.8M

278.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$603 ៛2.5M

133.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,492 ៛10.2M

45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,074 ៛4.4M

98.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$234 ៛952.5K

304.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.2

23.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Siem Reap

$244 29.8% 65.7% $467

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Siem Reap

$237 28.9% 25.9% $83

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Siem Reap

$78 9.5% 60.8% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Siem Reap

$69 8.4% 56% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Siem Reap

$122 14.9% 3.5% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Siem Reap

$43 5.3% 39.4% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Siem Reap

$26 3.2% 3.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

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

Mexico City pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $24 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $237 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

10:49 10:49 AM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

171,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Siem Reap 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Siem Reap

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $818 in Siem Reap, so Siem Reap is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 4 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 Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Siem Reap runs roughly 23% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $286 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Siem Reap is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.