Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Spanish Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Spanish Town: $1,009 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Spanish Town
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Spanish Town Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Spanish Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Spanish Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,009 in Spanish Town.

Mexico City $1,608
Spanish Town $1,009

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,922 in Spanish Town.

Mexico City $2,549
Spanish Town $1,922

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,834 in Spanish Town.

Mexico City $3,490
Spanish Town $2,834

Living in Mexico City is roughly 59% more expensive than in Spanish Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Spanish Town is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$13.69 JMD 2,158

-22.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$74.3 JMD 11.7K

-34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$8.42 JMD 1,328

22.92%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$5.23 JMD 824

-29.45%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.16 JMD 183

43.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$0.74 JMD 117

71.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$2.19 JMD 345

45.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$3.17 JMD 499

67.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$4.21 JMD 665

-59.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$3.69 JMD 582

-17.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.64 JMD 259

18.29%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$3.53 JMD 557

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.42 JMD 1,801

-3.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.34 JMD 1,000

45.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$10.17 JMD 1,604

48.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$6.07 JMD 958

-49.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$3.82 JMD 602

-49.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$7.56 JMD 1,193

-73.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$2.97 JMD 469

-22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$3.23 JMD 509

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$2.03 JMD 320

-11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$3.13 JMD 493

-52.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.46 JMD 229

-13.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$9.58 JMD 1,510

-44.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$11.44 JMD 1,804

40.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$2.88 JMD 455

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.91 JMD 616

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$1.28 JMD 202

43.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$3.11 JMD 490

-82.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$6.21 JMD 979

-14.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.41 JMD 222

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$44.0K JMD 6.9M

-50.60%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$32.5K JMD 5.1M

-26.25%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$171 JMD 26.9K

-63.12%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$28.96 JMD 4,567

-5.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$52.6 JMD 8,298

-32.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.32 JMD 2,101

-51.95%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$360 JMD 56.8K

19.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$8,371 JMD 1.3M

36.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$23.26 JMD 3,667

193.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$31.95 JMD 5,038

66.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$79.1 JMD 12.5K

36.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$104 JMD 16.4K

12.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$624 JMD 98.4K

314.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$513 JMD 80.9K

173.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,178 JMD 185.7K

-19.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

9.45

20.11%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Spanish Town: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Spanish Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Spanish Town

$383 38% 20% $64

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Spanish Town

$222 22% 12% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Spanish Town

$107 10.6% 31.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Spanish Town

$252 25% 100% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Spanish Town

$27 * 2.6% 62.9% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Spanish Town

$17 * 1.7% 34% $8.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Spanish Town pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $74 in Spanish Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $383 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇲 Spanish Town

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

09:13 9:13 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

131,056

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Spanish Town 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Spanish Town

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 Spanish Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Spanish Town differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,009 including rent). Spanish Town is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $360 in Spanish Town. 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 $48 versus $74 in Spanish Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Spanish Town 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.