Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Somerset, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
189

Cost of Living Index in Somerset, NJ
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Somerset, NJ Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Somerset, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,865

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Somerset, NJ

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,865 in Somerset, NJ.

Mexico City $1,567
Somerset, NJ $3,865

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $4,297 in Somerset, NJ.

Mexico City $2,450
Somerset, NJ $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $4,728 in Somerset, NJ.

Mexico City $3,333
Somerset, NJ $4,728

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 59% less than in Somerset, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Somerset, NJ 186% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$18.26 $18.26

-41.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$39.28 $39.28

27.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.16 $8.16

36.03%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.89 $4.89

-24.74%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.96 $1.96

-15.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.47 $1.47

-11.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$7.84 $7.84

-57.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$7.13 $7.13

-22.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.32 $1.32

34.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$4.38 $4.38

-30.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$6.12 $6.12

-67.16%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.02 $2.02

37.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$13.28 $13.28

-10.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.19 $10.19

-8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$19.45 $19.45

-22.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$6.07 $6.07

-49.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$3.49 $3.49

-44.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.32 $4.32

-53.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$5.43 $5.43

-59.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$3.04 $3.04

-33.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.04 $3.04

-40.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.43 $2.43

-37.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.97 $2.97

-56.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$17.39 $17.39

-69.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$15.25 $15.25

5.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.78 $1.78

9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.52 $3.52

20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.95 $1.95

-84.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.94 $2.94

-31.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.23 $2.23

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$41.34 $41.34

-86.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.10 $1.10

38.18%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$36.0K $36.0K

-41.55%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$25.3K $25.3K

-0.42%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$173 $173

-63.89%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$50.0 $50.0

-42.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$49.14 $49.14

-29.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$40.91 $40.91

39.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$20.32 $20.32

-67.18%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$2,016 $2,016

-78.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$16.3K $16.3K

-27.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$50.2 $50.2

40.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$40.93 $40.93

26.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$85.3 $85.3

27.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$104 $104

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,599 $1,599

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$2,626 $2,626

-74.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,527 $2,527

-7.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$2,114 $2,114

-41.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$2,767 $2,767

28.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,399 $2,399

-17.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.8

66.18%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Somerset, NJ: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Somerset, NJ

$2.6K 67.9% 295% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Somerset, NJ

$441 11.4% 36.8% $119

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Somerset, NJ

$296 7.7% 46% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Somerset, NJ

$126 3.3% 18.5% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Somerset, NJ

$272 7% 117% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Somerset, NJ

$82 2.1% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Somerset, NJ

$22 * 0.6% 15.2% $3.9

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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,599 in Somerset, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $39.00 in Somerset, NJ. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $441, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Somerset, NJ

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

11,924

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Somerset, NJ 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Somerset, NJ

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 Somerset, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Somerset, NJ differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $3,865 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,351 in Mexico City and $5,798 in Somerset, NJ 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,599 in Somerset, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $2,016 in Somerset, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $39.00 in Somerset, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,865 in Somerset, NJ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Somerset, NJ. 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 Somerset, NJ 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 147% less than in Somerset, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.