Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tacna

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacna: $433 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Tacna

🇵🇪 Peru

$433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $433 in Tacna.

Mexico City $1,674
Tacna $433

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $621 in Tacna.

Mexico City $2,606
Tacna $621

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $810 in Tacna.

Mexico City $3,537
Tacna $810

Living in Mexico City is roughly 287% more expensive than in Tacna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Tacna is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$2.84 PEN 9.77

272.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$14.47 PEN 49.80

259.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$4.94 PEN 16.99

117.21%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$3.42 PEN 11.77

11.11%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$1.13 PEN 3.89

42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.41 PEN 1.41

195.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$2.83 PEN 9.73

12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.36 PEN 11.55

61.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.16 PEN 4.00

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$1.41 PEN 4.84

110.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$0.83 PEN 2.86

132.53%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$1.76 PEN 6.05

57.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$4.34 PEN 14.94

168.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.65 PEN 16.01

103.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$8.61 PEN 29.62

78.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.41 PEN 4.85

39.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$0.90 PEN 3.11

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$0.74 PEN 2.56

172.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.70 PEN 2.40

87.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$4.36 PEN 15.02

22.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$6.42 PEN 22.10

152.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$2.59 PEN 8.90

-24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$0.28 PEN 0.96

7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$1.90 PEN 6.54

1.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

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

$28.47 MX$535

$18.59 PEN 64.0

53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$25.48 PEN 87.7

33.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$29.16 PEN 100

100.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$2.58 PEN 8.88

155.43%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$57.3 PEN 197

658.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$20.45 PEN 70.4

234.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$20.55 PEN 70.7

166.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$26.26 PEN 90.4

341.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$68.7 PEN 237

1021.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$465 PEN 1,600

115.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tacna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Tacna

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Tacna

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Tacna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Tacna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Tacna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Tacna

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Tacna

–

Cost Breakdown

Mexico City pays about 2.2 times 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: $52 in Mexico City vs $14 in Tacna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $147 per month, with Tacna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇪 Tacna

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

92,972

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.87 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tacna 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tacna

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 Tacna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $433 in Tacna, so Tacna is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $57 in Tacna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tacna – a meal for two runs $14 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $433 in Tacna versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Tacna but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tacna 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 – Tacna wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.