Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,454 in Singapore.

Mexico City $1,561
Singapore $3,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $5,224 in Singapore.

Mexico City $2,440
Singapore $5,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $6,994 in Singapore.

Mexico City $3,319
Singapore $6,994

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 55% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Singapore 158% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$202

$11.53 SGD 14.77

-3.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$891

$71.2 SGD 91.2

-31.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$204

$8.76 SGD 11.22

28.20%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$68.4

$5.25 SGD 6.73

-28.38%

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

$1.65 MX$30.05

$1.83 SGD 2.34

-9.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.27

$1.25 SGD 1.60

2.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.2

$8.42 SGD 10.79

-61.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$103

$10.02 SGD 12.83

-43.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$32.92

$2.94 SGD 3.76

-38.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$2.47 SGD 3.16

19.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.27

$2.71 SGD 3.47

-24.35%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.2

$3.73 SGD 4.77

-21.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$217

$21.54 SGD 27.58

-44.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$173

$9.52 SGD 12.20

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$270

$25.98 SGD 33.27

-42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.2

$4.48 SGD 5.74

-29.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.65

$3.11 SGD 3.99

-35.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$37.75

$4.62 SGD 5.92

-54.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.35

$2.23 SGD 2.86

-0.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.47

$2.50 SGD 3.20

-17.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.14

$2.38 SGD 3.05

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$26.93

$1.78 SGD 2.28

-16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.47

$1.51 SGD 1.93

-10.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$98.4

$14.18 SGD 18.16

-61.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$307

$23.79 SGD 30.47

-29.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.09

$4.51 SGD 5.78

-56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$78.7

$4.57 SGD 5.86

-5.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.27

$1.58 SGD 2.03

-78.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$368

$96.4 SGD 123

-79.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.11

$3.63 SGD 4.65

-42.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.65

$0.80 SGD 1.02

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$98.3

$16.18 SGD 20.72

-66.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.65

$2.51 SGD 3.21

-39.44%

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

$21.7K MX$395.3K

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

-86.06%

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

$24.8K MX$451.4K

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

-82.98%

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

$63.0 MX$1,145

$175 SGD 224

-64.02%

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

$28.88 MX$525

$12.45 SGD 15.94

131.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$617

$26.64 SGD 34.11

27.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,015

$112 SGD 143

-50.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$453

$12.07 SGD 15.46

106.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$123

$11.60 SGD 14.85

-41.64%

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

$428 MX$7,781

$1,463 SGD 1,874

-70.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$216.0K

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

-58.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,274

$81.5 SGD 104

-14.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$977

$50.6 SGD 64.8

6.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$1,997

$112 SGD 143

-1.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,096

$130 SGD 166

-11.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.3K

$2,916 SGD 3,734

-63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.2K

$2,128 SGD 2,725

-68.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.3K

$5,654 SGD 7,241

-57.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$22.9K

$3,968 SGD 5,081

-68.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$67.6K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-84.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$35.9K

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

-88.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.1K

$4,369 SGD 5,594

-77.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.44

363.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4% 217% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Singapore

$457 13.2% 40% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Singapore

$256 7.4% 23.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Singapore

$168 4.9% 7.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Singapore

$214 6.2% 70.2% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Singapore

$135 3.9% 94.3% $65

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 319% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $2,916 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 338% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $457 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

16:54 4:54 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Singapore 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Singapore

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 Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Singapore differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($1,561 vs $3,454 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 338% lower in Singapore. 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: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $2,916 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 376% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $428 in Mexico City versus $1,463 in Singapore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Singapore 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.