Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Targu Frumos

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Frumos: $1,001 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Targu Frumos, Romania
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Targu Frumos
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,001
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Targu Frumos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,001 in Targu Frumos.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Targu Frumos $1,001

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,527 in Targu Frumos.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Targu Frumos $1,527

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,053 in Targu Frumos.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Targu Frumos $2,053

Living in Mexico City is roughly 61% more expensive than in Targu Frumos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Targu Frumos is 26% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$10.73 RON 51.5
-1.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$41.38 RON 198
16.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$7.43 RON 35.62
39.30%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.7
$2.42 RON 11.59
52.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.05
$2.10 RON 10.07
-20.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.58
$1.87 RON 8.99
-32.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$2.05 RON 9.85
55.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$3.21 RON 15.39
65.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.13
$1.18 RON 5.64
45.76%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.6
$0.71 RON 3.38
328.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$1.72 RON 8.25
12.79%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$3.37 RON 16.17
-14.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$204
$7.75 RON 37.17
41.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$5.95 RON 28.55
55.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$8.22 RON 39.44
84.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$1.30 RON 6.23
134.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.17
$1.59 RON 7.60
22.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.73
$1.59 RON 7.60
27.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.12
$1.77 RON 8.49
30.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.91
$0.95 RON 4.54
114.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.53
$1.01 RON 4.84
78.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.56
$0.80 RON 3.84
85.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.62
$0.69 RON 3.31
84.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.8
$5.88 RON 28.20
-9.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$5.17 RON 24.80
211.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.95
$0.93 RON 4.48
112.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.2
$1.22 RON 5.86
248.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.68
$0.72 RON 3.45
-56.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$21.53 RON 103
-8.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.23
$0.61 RON 2.91
201.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$0.64 RON 3.08
-17.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$6.93 RON 33.21
-23.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.14
$1.80 RON 8.65
-16.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.3K
$28.1K RON 134.8K
-22.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$446.9K
$25.1K RON 120.3K
-4.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,173
$148 RON 712
-57.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$510
$7.74 RON 37.12
253.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$664
$7.74 RON 37.13
360.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,098
$37.80 RON 181
55.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$20.56 RON 98.6
14.98%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$6.18 RON 29.64
3.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,041
$589 RON 2,827
-26.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.8K
$4,907 RON 23.5K
132.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,271
$97.0 RON 465
-29.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$32.37 RON 155
64.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,008
$61.4 RON 294
75.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,185
$84.1 RON 403
39.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.7K
$387 RON 1,856
187.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$283 RON 1,359
150.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$589 RON 2,825
339.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$450 RON 2,159
212.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.6K
$1,817 RON 8,715
99.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$1,363 RON 6,537
56.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Targu Frumos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
7.2
57.64%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Targu Frumos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Targu Frumos
$283 60.1% $427
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Targu Frumos
$182 43.1% $138
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Targu Frumos
$170 14.6% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Targu Frumos
$124 20.7% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Targu Frumos
$164 30.1% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Targu Frumos
$50 30.1% $22
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Targu Frumos
$28 10.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $387 in Targu Frumos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $41 in Targu Frumos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $182 per month, with Targu Frumos cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇷🇴 Targu Frumos
🕒 Local time
19:29 7:29 PM
03:29 3:29 AM
8 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
13,875
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Targu Frumos 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Targu Frumos

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 Targu Frumos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Targu Frumos?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,001 in Targu Frumos, so Targu Frumos is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Mexico City compared to Targu Frumos?
You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,502 in Targu Frumos to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Targu Frumos?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $387 in Targu Frumos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Mexico City and in Targu Frumos?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 8% less than in Targu Frumos. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Targu Frumos?
Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $589 in Targu Frumos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,001 in Targu Frumos versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Targu Frumos but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Targu Frumos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Targu Frumos?
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.

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