Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tampico

For one person, living is cheaper in Tampico: $1,304 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
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Tampico Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,304 in Tampico.

Mexico City $1,608
Tampico $1,304

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,065 in Tampico.

Mexico City $2,549
Tampico $2,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,825 in Tampico.

Mexico City $3,490
Tampico $2,825

Living in Mexico City is roughly 23% more expensive than in Tampico, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Tampico is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$8.28 MX$156

28.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$54.0 MX$1,015

-10.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.58 MX$180

8.04%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.97 MX$55.8

24.24%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.19 MX$22.43

40.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.84 MX$15.83

51.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$4.43 MX$83.3

-27.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$4.79 MX$90.1

10.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.45 MX$27.29

18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.98 MX$74.9

-23.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.37 MX$25.84

41.61%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$3.98 MX$74.8

-27.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$4.94 MX$92.9

122.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$9.76 MX$183

-5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$12.90 MX$242

17.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$3.41 MX$64.0

-10.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.10 MX$20.60

76.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.01 MX$37.72

1.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.18 MX$40.96

5.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.04 MX$38.31

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.69 MX$50.5

-33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.08 MX$39.16

-28.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.87 MX$16.29

45.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.68 MX$87.9

13.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.53 MX$28.72

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.75 MX$14.06

-58.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$27.24 MX$512

-27.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$2.65 MX$49.76

-30.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$2.68 MX$50.3

-80.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.10 MX$95.8

3.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.38 MX$25.97

9.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$32.1K MX$602.9K

-32.18%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$23.9K MX$449.4K

0.30%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$102 MX$1,916

-38.23%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$27.25 MX$512

0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$23.53 MX$442

51.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$43.28 MX$813

36.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$16.27 MX$306

45.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$5.41 MX$102

18.30%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$269 MX$5,060

60.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$7,934 MX$149.1K

43.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$73.5 MX$1,380

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$65.9 MX$1,238

-19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$161 MX$3,017

-32.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$239 MX$4,493

-50.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$508 MX$9,546

119.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$380 MX$7,136

87.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$932 MX$17.5K

177.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$662 MX$12.4K

112.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$539 MX$10.1K

75.45%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tampico: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tampico

$380 29.1% 46.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tampico

$258 * 19.8% 19.1% $61

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tampico

$171 13.1% 14.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tampico

$243 18.6% 55.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tampico

$153 11.7% 21.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tampico

$54 4.2% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tampico

$46 3.6% 81.7% $21

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $508 in Tampico. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $54 in Tampico. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $258, with Tampico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Tampico

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

297,562

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Tampico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,304 in Tampico, so Tampico is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Mexico City, 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 $508 in Tampico. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 28% less than in Tampico. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $269 in Tampico. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tampico gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Tampico wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.