Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Taif

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,271 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,271 in Taif.

Mexico City $1,674
Taif $1,271

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,863 in Taif.

Mexico City $2,606
Taif $1,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,456 in Taif.

Mexico City $3,537
Taif $2,456

Living in Mexico City is roughly 32% more expensive than in Taif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Taif is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$5.39 SAR 20.22

96.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$37.10 SAR 139

40.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$7.55 SAR 28.34

42.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$2.20 SAR 8.27

72.73%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$0.63 SAR 2.37

155.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$0.22 SAR 0.81

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.81 SAR 6.80

-4.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$0.28 SAR 1.05

960.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$2.33 SAR 8.74

-17.17%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$2.68 SAR 10.05

3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$5.82 SAR 21.83

100.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$6.93 SAR 26.01

36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$9.46 SAR 35.52

62.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$2.45 SAR 9.19

26.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.75 SAR 6.56

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$1.82 SAR 6.82

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$1.87 SAR 7.02

25.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.34 SAR 5.04

50.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.44 SAR 5.41

26.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.91 SAR 3.42

69.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$0.78 SAR 2.92

67.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.32

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$6.98 SAR 26.20

-23.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

$1.07 SAR 4.03

-71.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

$37.71 SAR 142

-48.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$1.36 SAR 5.11

41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$1.96 SAR 7.34

-76.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$9.54 SAR 35.80

-43.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$0.64 SAR 2.40

131.25%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$26.8K SAR 100.6K

-20.24%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$21.4K SAR 80.5K

10.77%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$141 SAR 530

-56.09%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$27.63 SAR 104

3.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$68.4 SAR 257

-50.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$143 SAR 538

-59.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

$13.26 SAR 49.75

84.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$19.64 SAR 73.7

-66.45%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$187 SAR 701

132.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$3,348 SAR 12.6K

319.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$41.65 SAR 156

64.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$50.6 SAR 190

8.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$94.2 SAR 354

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$86.6 SAR 325

33.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$569 SAR 2,136

107.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$399 SAR 1,496

93.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$897 SAR 3,365

186.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$610 SAR 2,288

132.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

$1,992 SAR 7,477

79.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,188 SAR 4,459

73.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$1,573 SAR 5,905

-36.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.54

104.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Taif: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Taif

$399 31.4% 48.3% $372

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Taif

$181 14.2% 44.2% $143

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Taif

$96 7.5% 52.3% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Taif

$123 9.7% 22% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Taif

$237 18.7% 90.4% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Taif

$183 14.4% 155% $111

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Taif

$53 4.2% 113% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $569 in Taif. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taif pays 57% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $37 in Taif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $181 per month, with Taif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇦 Taif

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

579,970

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Taif 13,700 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Taif

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 Taif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,271 in Taif, so Taif is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $569 in Taif. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 48% less than in Taif. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $187 in Taif. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Taif 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.