Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tembisa Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tembisa

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Mexico City versus $1,019 in Tembisa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,325 in Mexico City versus $1,593 in Tembisa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,184 in Mexico City versus $2,166 in Tembisa.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 44% more expensive than Tembisa, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 9% above, Tembisa is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.30 MX$231

$8.67 R 143

53.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$932

$33.22 R 547

61.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 MX$163

$4.73 R 77.8

99.15%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.3

$2.13 R 35.01

68.54%

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

$1.62 MX$28.13

$0.98 R 16.17

65.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.49

$0.76 R 12.45

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$56.3

$2.26 R 37.27

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 MX$80.6

$2.44 R 40.27

90.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$28.37

$1.16 R 19.14

41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$46.00

$1.05 R 17.22

152.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.99

$1.62 R 26.64

20.99%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.08

$2.48 R 40.92

2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.97 MX$173

$7.93 R 131

25.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 MX$145

$4.52 R 74.5

85.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.83 MX$205

$6.78 R 112

74.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$49.62

$1.65 R 27.23

73.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$30.05

$1.48 R 24.31

16.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.50

$1.47 R 24.20

35.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$35.51

$1.66 R 27.31

23.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$35.64

$1.32 R 21.69

56.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 MX$39.54

$1.23 R 20.33

85.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$25.05

$1.08 R 17.84

34.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.83

$0.93 R 15.24

17.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$73.9

$2.79 R 45.88

53.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.67 MX$254

$4.89 R 80.5

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.58

$1.33 R 21.88

32.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 MX$61.8

$1.65 R 27.10

116.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MX$6.67

$1.69 R 27.80

-77.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.73 MX$325

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 MX$24.09

$1.15 R 18.88

20.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.26

$0.94 R 15.45

-68.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$93.8

$4.13 R 68.0

30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$23.22

$1.29 R 21.31

3.88%

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

$18.9K MX$326.7K

$20.9K R 344.8K

-9.96%

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

$23.2K MX$402.0K

$24.3K R 399.9K

-4.46%

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

$40.30 MX$698

$120 R 1,983

-66.53%

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

$27.15 MX$471

$34.49 R 568

-21.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$510

$41.32 R 681

-28.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$914

$31.40 R 517

67.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.17 MX$454

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MX$107

$6.53 R 108

-5.36%

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

$441 MX$7,637

$199 R 3,282

121.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$185.4K

$4,280 R 70.5K

149.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 MX$992

$51.1 R 841

12.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 MX$781

$32.35 R 533

39.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,793

$88.0 R 1,450

17.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MX$1,884

$80.6 R 1,327

34.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 MX$17.3K

$361 R 5,952

176.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 MX$11.0K

$334 R 5,495

89.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 MX$37.1K

$684 R 11.3K

212.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 MX$21.7K

$686 R 11.3K

82.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,745 MX$64.9K

$661 R 10.9K

466.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,381 MX$41.3K

$612 R 10.1K

289.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,079 MX$18.7K

$569 R 9,368

89.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.51

-1.48%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 20, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: April 21, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,000 in Mexico City and $361 in Tembisa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 90% 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: $54 in Mexico City vs $33 in Tembisa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $286 vs $178 per month, with Tembisa cheaper across the board.

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tembisa differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,466 vs $1,019 including rent). Tembisa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Mexico City pays 90% more on average, 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: $1,000 in Mexico City versus $361 in Tembisa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Mexico City versus $199 in Tembisa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tembisa – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,019 in Tembisa versus $1,466 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tembisa but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tembisa 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.

Expats usually find Tembisa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.