Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and St. Julians

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in St. Julians

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,257 in St. Julians.

Mexico City $1,548
St. Julians $2,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,588 in St. Julians.

Mexico City $2,436
St. Julians $3,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,919 in St. Julians.

Mexico City $3,323
St. Julians $4,919

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in St. Julians, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, St. Julians 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$20.12 €17.90

-45.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$99.0 €88.1

-50.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$11.09 €9.87

-1.71%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.27 €2.91

12.54%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$3.06 €2.72

-46.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.90 €1.69

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$4.57 €4.06

-28.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$4.56 €4.06

21.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.24 €1.10

37.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.75 €1.56

72.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$3.38 €3.00

-43.20%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.54 €4.04

-39.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$18.83 €16.75

-37.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$10.64 €9.46

-10.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.95 €15.97

-19.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.03 €2.70

-0.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.05 €1.83

-7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.88 €2.56

-30.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.99 €3.55

-45.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.43 €2.16

-20.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.39 €2.12

-21.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.91 €1.70

-24.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.89 €0.79

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$6.77 €6.02

-22.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.21 €6.42

124.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.62 €1.44

17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.35 €2.09

79.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.55 €2.27

-86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.59 €4.09

-56.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.65 €1.47

-68.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$39.13 €34.80

-86.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.54 €1.37

-1.30%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.5K €24.5K

-19.75%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$39.5K €35.2K

-38.00%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$76.7 €68.2

-20.33%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$35.28 €31.38

-18.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$35.16 €31.27

-1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$94.5 €84.1

-40.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$39.97 €35.56

-37.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.39 €10.13

-41.53%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$618 €550

-30.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$13.9K €12.4K

-16.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$146 €130

-53.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$55.1 €49.02

-5.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$121 €108

-12.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$164 €146

-31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,391 €1,237

-26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,124 €999

-41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,555 €2,273

-9.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$2,042 €1,816

-39.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$5,727 €5,094

-36.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,143 €2,796

-38.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$2,426 €2,158

-60.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.22

250.93%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8% 71.7% $469

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

St. Julians

$342 15.1% 7.4% $24

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

St. Julians

$285 12.6% 39.9% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

St. Julians

$219 9.7% 43.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

St. Julians

$147 6.5% 18.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

St. Julians

$117 5.2% 68.3% $48

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

St. Julians

$23 * 1% 10% $2.6

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Julians pays 152% 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 $99.0 in St. Julians for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $342 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

19:03 7:03 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

13,792

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City St. Julians 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
St. Julians

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 St. Julians: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and St. Julians differ by about 46% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,257 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 152% lower in St. Julians. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,391 in St. Julians. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $618 in St. Julians. 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 $49.00 versus $99.0 in St. Julians. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,257 in St. Julians, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in St. Julians. 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 St. Julians 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 46% less than in St. Julians. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.