Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Suginami-ku Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Suginami-ku

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,467 in Mexico City versus $1,196 in Suginami-ku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,371 in Mexico City versus $1,894 in Suginami-ku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,274 in Mexico City versus $2,592 in Suginami-ku.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 23% more expensive than Suginami-ku, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 10% above, Suginami-ku is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.18 MX$228

$7.00 ¥1,120

88.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 MX$934

$34.21 ¥5,473

57.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 MX$163

$5.06 ¥810

86.17%

Cappuccino

$3.55 MX$61.5

$3.16 ¥506

12.34%

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

$1.62 MX$28.03

$1.14 ¥182

42.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.31

$0.74 ¥119

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 MX$54.1

$2.04 ¥326

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 MX$80.2

$2.09 ¥335

121.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$29.48

$1.51 ¥242

12.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 MX$47.10

$1.76 ¥281

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 MX$33.13

$4.84 ¥774

-60.54%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$43.94

$1.52 ¥243

67.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 MX$174

$10.18 ¥1,628

-1.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 MX$140

$6.27 ¥1,004

29.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 MX$201

$15.64 ¥2,502

-25.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 MX$51.4

$5.95 ¥952

-50.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 MX$31.30

$3.08 ¥493

-41.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MX$34.88

$4.10 ¥655

-50.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$35.26

$4.64 ¥742

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$36.82

$3.33 ¥533

-36.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$39.32

$3.57 ¥570

-36.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 MX$24.26

$1.34 ¥215

4.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$19.59

$0.87 ¥139

29.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$74.0

$4.25 ¥680

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 MX$270

$9.29 ¥1,486

67.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.44

$1.84 ¥294

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 MX$62.3

$2.06 ¥330

74.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MX$6.64

$1.59 ¥254

-76.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.18 MX$332

$55.1 ¥8,808

-65.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 MX$23.84

$3.57 ¥570

-61.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.79

$3.02 ¥484

-90.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 MX$94.4

$21.93 ¥3,507

-75.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 MX$22.60

$1.17 ¥188

11.11%

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

$18.7K MX$323.8K

$22.9K ¥3.7M

-18.53%

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

$23.1K MX$400.8K

$18.3K ¥2.9M

26.54%

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

$40.86 MX$708

$82.5 ¥13.2K

-50.48%

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

$26.81 MX$465

$27.76 ¥4,440

-3.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.96 MX$519

$33.70 ¥5,391

-11.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 MX$901

$56.2 ¥8,994

-7.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.84 MX$465

$14.00 ¥2,240

91.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 MX$109

$11.32 ¥1,811

-44.35%

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

$436 MX$7,558

$287 ¥45.9K

52.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K MX$180.5K

$14.0K ¥2.2M

-25.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 MX$982

$20.99 ¥3,357

169.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.38 MX$769

$29.03 ¥4,643

52.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,784

$60.9 ¥9,737

69.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 MX$1,829

$98.4 ¥15.7K

7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 MX$17.7K

$463 ¥74.1K

120.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 MX$10.9K

$323 ¥51.7K

95.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 MX$37.0K

$879 ¥140.6K

143.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 MX$21.5K

$660 ¥105.5K

88.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,903 MX$67.6K

$4,161 ¥665.5K

-6.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$35.8K

$2,507 ¥401.0K

-17.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 MX$19.3K

$2,769 ¥442.9K

-59.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

467.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: May 31, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,022 in Mexico City and $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Suginami-ku pays 148% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54.0 in Mexico City vs $34.00 in Suginami-ku. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $320, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Suginami-ku differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,467 vs $1,196 including rent). Suginami-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Suginami-ku earns 148% less. 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: $1,022 in Mexico City versus $463 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Suginami-ku runs roughly 187% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $436 in Mexico City versus $287 in Suginami-ku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,196 in Suginami-ku versus $1,467 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suginami-ku but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku 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 Suginami-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.