Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $723 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
Learn more

Smolyan Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $723 in Smolyan.

Mexico City $1,674
Smolyan $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,156 in Smolyan.

Mexico City $2,606
Smolyan $1,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,589 in Smolyan.

Mexico City $3,537
Smolyan $1,589

Living in Mexico City is roughly 131% more expensive than in Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Smolyan is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$6.38 BGN 11.17

65.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$37.37 BGN 65.4

39.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.79 BGN 10.14

85.32%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$1.32 BGN 2.32

187.88%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.07 BGN 1.87

50.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.78 BGN 1.36

55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.72 BGN 3.02

84.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$2.18 BGN 3.81

149.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.75 BGN 3.06

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$0.93 BGN 1.63

219.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.73 BGN 3.03

11.56%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.37 BGN 5.89

-17.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$10.22 BGN 17.89

14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.73 BGN 10.03

65.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.63 BGN 15.11

78.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.13 BGN 1.98

174.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.73 BGN 3.02

13.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.15 BGN 2.01

72.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$2.31 BGN 4.05

1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.17 BGN 2.05

72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.49 BGN 2.60

22.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.93 BGN 1.63

65.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.60 BGN 1.05

118.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$3.40 BGN 5.94

57.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$5.55 BGN 9.72

191.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$0.60 BGN 1.04

226.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.67 BGN 2.92

160.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-65.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$32.36 BGN 56.6

-39.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.30 BGN 2.28

47.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.59 BGN 1.04

-20.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$12.19 BGN 21.33

-55.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.54 BGN 2.69

-3.90%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$23.1K BGN 40.4K

-7.44%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$23.4K BGN 40.9K

1.55%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$100 BGN 175

-38.04%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$14.39 BGN 25.18

97.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$9.26 BGN 16.21

268.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$21.86 BGN 38.26

167.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$16.71 BGN 29.25

46.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.64 BGN 13.38

-13.74%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$230 BGN 402

89.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,915 BGN 10.4K

137.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$28.19 BGN 49.33

142.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$21.01 BGN 36.77

160.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$58.9 BGN 103

88.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$62.8 BGN 110

84.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$202 BGN 353

484.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$141 BGN 247

445.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$290 BGN 507

787.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$238 BGN 417

496.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$1,302 BGN 2,279

175.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,091 BGN 1,910

89.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$694 BGN 1,215

44.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.25

249.23%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 81.7% $630

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Smolyan

$199 27.6% 38.4% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Smolyan

$105 14.5% 47.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Smolyan

$77 10.6% 51.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Smolyan

$124 17.1% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 48.1% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Smolyan

$40 5.6% 60.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $202 in Smolyan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 44% 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $37 in Smolyan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $199 per month, with Smolyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

30,507

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Smolyan 11,110 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Smolyan

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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $723 in Smolyan, so Smolyan is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $202 in Smolyan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 40% less than in Smolyan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $230 in Smolyan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $723 in Smolyan versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Smolyan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Smolyan 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.

It comes down to priorities – Smolyan wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.