Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $837 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Song Be

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $837 in Song Be.

Mexico City $1,674
Song Be $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,349 in Song Be.

Mexico City $2,606
Song Be $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,861 in Song Be.

Mexico City $3,537
Song Be $1,861

Living in Mexico City is roughly 100% more expensive than in Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Song Be is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$2.13 ₫54.6K

397.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$23.47 ₫603.3K

121.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$4.64 ₫119.3K

131.25%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$1.80 ₫46.2K

111.11%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.52 ₫13.3K

209.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.34 ₫8,802

255.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$1.04 ₫26.7K

205.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$1.61 ₫41.3K

237.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.60 ₫41.0K

7.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.18 ₫30.3K

151.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.04 ₫26.7K

85.58%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$1.69 ₫43.4K

63.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$12.12 ₫311.4K

-3.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$3.58 ₫92.0K

164.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$10.06 ₫258.6K

52.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$3.05 ₫78.4K

1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.23 ₫31.7K

59.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.50 ₫38.4K

32.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.26 ₫32.5K

85.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.18 ₫30.3K

71.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.16 ₫29.8K

56.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.74 ₫19.1K

108.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.55 ₫14.2K

138.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$1.21 ₫31.1K

342.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$11.75 ₫301.9K

37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.02 ₫26.1K

92.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$1.47 ₫37.8K

195.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.31 ₫7,917

-3.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$7.04 ₫180.9K

176.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$0.80 ₫20.5K

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.66 ₫17.0K

-28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$3.02 ₫77.5K

79.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.91 ₫23.3K

62.64%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$31.5K ₫808.9M

-32.10%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$29.8K ₫766.9M

-20.39%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$100 ₫2.6M

-38.12%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$5.85 ₫150.4K

386.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$10.25 ₫263.5K

232.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$20.52 ₫527.3K

184.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$8.37 ₫215.1K

192.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$3.86 ₫99.1K

70.73%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$534 ₫13.7M

-18.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$27.0K ₫694.2M

-48.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$51.9 ₫1.3M

31.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$35.03 ₫900.2K

56.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$95.2 ₫2.4M

16.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$94.7 ₫2.4M

22.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$389 ₫10.0M

203.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$286 ₫7.4M

169.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$703 ₫18.1M

265.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$658 ₫16.9M

115.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,583 ₫66.4M

38.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,506 ₫38.7M

37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.64

31.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Song Be: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Song Be

$286 34.2% 62.8% $484

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Song Be

$205 24.5% 36.6% $119

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 67.9% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Song Be

$125 14.9% 20.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Song Be

$116 13.9% 6.7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Song Be

$28 3.4% 60.6% $43

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Song Be

$12 1.5% 50.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $389 in Song Be. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $23 in Song Be for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $205 per month, with Song Be cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

14:27 2:27 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 25,699 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Song Be 15,550 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $837 in Song Be, so Song Be is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,256 in Song Be 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $389 in Song Be. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Song Be runs roughly 64% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $534 in Song Be. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $837 in Song Be versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Song Be but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Song Be 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.

Expats usually find Song Be gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.