Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Stip

For one person, living is cheaper in Stip: $809 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $809 in Stip.

Mexico City $1,608
Stip $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,210 in Stip.

Mexico City $2,549
Stip $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,611 in Stip.

Mexico City $3,490
Stip $1,611

Living in Mexico City is roughly 99% more expensive than in Stip, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Stip is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.45 MKD 410

42.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$23.08 MKD 1,270

109.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.30 MKD 347

64.29%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.81 MKD 99.3

103.87%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.43 MKD 78.7

16.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.07 MKD 58.8

18.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.84 MKD 101

73.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.75 MKD 151

93.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.27 MKD 70.1

35.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.74 MKD 40.87

310.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.11 MKD 61.1

74.77%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.52 MKD 139

14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$7.96 MKD 438

37.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.26 MKD 399

27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$7.21 MKD 397

109.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$0.90 MKD 49.31

238.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.45 MKD 79.6

33.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.32 MKD 72.7

53.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.60 MKD 87.8

44.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.88 MKD 48.68

131.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.80 MKD 43.97

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.56 MKD 30.98

164.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.42 MKD 23.11

202.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.25 MKD 179

63.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.42 MKD 409

116.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.03 MKD 56.8

92.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$1.49 MKD 81.9

185.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.67 MKD 36.88

-53.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$23.98 MKD 1,319

-17.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.08 MKD 59.3

70.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.58 MKD 31.74

-8.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$5.54 MKD 305

-4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.53 MKD 84.2

-1.31%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

-34.34%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$26.0K MKD 1.4M

-7.64%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$158 MKD 8,680

-60.08%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$8.95 MKD 492

206.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$16.29 MKD 896

118.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$27.01 MKD 1,486

118.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$17.36 MKD 955

36.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.50 MKD 358

-1.54%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$357 MKD 19.6K

20.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$5,645 MKD 310.6K

102.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$35.74 MKD 1,966

90.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$30.66 MKD 1,687

73.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$101 MKD 5,556

6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$113 MKD 6,203

4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$201 MKD 11.1K

453.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$127 MKD 6,989

459.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$331 MKD 18.2K

681.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$201 MKD 11.0K

600.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,210 MKD 66.6K

200.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$976 MKD 53.7K

118.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$463 MKD 25.5K

104.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.23

168.32%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Stip

$127 15.7% 82.1% $583

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Stip

$177 21.9% 44.5% $142

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Stip

$125 15.4% 37.1% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Stip

$126 15.6% 19.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Stip

$183 22.6% 45.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Stip

$40 5% 44.2% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Stip

$31 3.8% 20.3% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $23 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

05:02 5:02 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

65,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Stip 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $809 in Stip, so Stip is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 18% less than in Stip. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $357 in Stip. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $809 in Stip versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stip but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Stip 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 – Stip wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.