Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tena

For one person, living is cheaper in Tena: $891 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Tena
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Tena Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Tena

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $891 in Tena.

Mexico City $1,674
Tena $891

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,475 in Tena.

Mexico City $2,606
Tena $1,475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,060 in Tena.

Mexico City $3,537
Tena $2,060

Living in Mexico City is roughly 88% more expensive than in Tena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Tena is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$5.63 $5.63

88.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$54.8 $54.8

-5.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$7.58 $7.58

41.56%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$3.34 $3.34

13.77%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.43 $1.43

12.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.05 $1.05

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.43 $3.43

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$6.12 $6.12

-11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.14 $1.14

50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.60 $1.60

85.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.51 $1.51

27.81%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.08 $2.08

33.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.51 $6.51

79.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.42 $5.42

74.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$7.67 $7.67

100.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$2.33 $2.33

33.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.22 $1.22

60.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.27 $1.27

55.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$1.13 $1.13

107.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.19 $1.19

69.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$1.08 $1.08

68.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.87 $0.87

77.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$1.00 $1.00

31.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.93 $5.93

-9.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$8.27 $8.27

95.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.58 $1.58

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.10 $3.10

40.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.33 $0.33

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$1.53 $1.53

25.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$0.75 $0.75

-37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$9.91 $9.91

-45.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.86 $0.86

72.09%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$23.4K $23.4K

-8.60%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$30.1K $30.1K

-21.07%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$28.50 $28.50

117.51%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$17.84 $17.84

59.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$28.34 $28.34

20.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$29.89 $29.89

95.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$16.69 $16.69

46.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$6.50 $6.50

1.38%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$729 $729

-40.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$9,064 $9,064

54.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$71.3 $71.3

-4.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$50.4 $50.4

8.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$116 $116

-4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$109 $109

6.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$422 $422

179.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$270 $270

184.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$802 $802

220.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$507 $507

180.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.12

12.15%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tena: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Tena

$270 30.4% 64.9% $500

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Tena

$193 21.7% 40.4% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Tena

$147 16.5% 26.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Tena

$156 17.5% 1% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Tena

$75 8.4% 40.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Tena

$43 4.8% 40.1% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Tena

$6.6 * 0.7% 73.5% $18

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $422 in Tena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $55 in Tena. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $193, with Tena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Tena

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

16:49 4:49 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

16,669

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Tena 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tena

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 Tena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $891 in Tena, so Tena is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,336 in Tena 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $422 in Tena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $729 in Tena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $55 in Tena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $891 in Tena versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tena but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tena 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.