Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tepic

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,221 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,221 in Tepic.

Mexico City $1,608
Tepic $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,884 in Tepic.

Mexico City $2,549
Tepic $1,884

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,548 in Tepic.

Mexico City $3,490
Tepic $2,548

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Tepic is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$13.22 MX$246

-19.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$43.16 MX$805

12.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.03 MX$168

14.62%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.17 MX$59.1

16.40%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.58 MX$29.42

5.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.14 MX$21.23

11.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.70 MX$50.4

18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.98 MX$92.9

6.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.55 MX$28.95

10.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.35 MX$43.86

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.57 MX$29.35

23.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.12 MX$39.52

36.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$4.91 MX$91.6

123.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.69 MX$181

-4.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$11.54 MX$215

31.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.68 MX$49.91

13.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.54 MX$28.70

25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.94 MX$36.12

4.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.76 MX$32.85

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.06 MX$38.46

-0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.84 MX$34.36

-2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.56 MX$29.05

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.04 MX$19.35

22.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$4.36 MX$81.3

21.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$10.38 MX$194

55.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.78 MX$14.47

153.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.34 MX$62.4

27.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.77 MX$14.38

-59.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$30.37 MX$566

-35.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.19 MX$40.89

-15.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.51 MX$28.15

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$9.30 MX$173

-43.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.40 MX$26.17

7.86%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$21.2K MX$394.5K

2.78%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$23.7K MX$441.8K

1.21%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$43.90 MX$818

43.46%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$12.02 MX$224

127.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$29.28 MX$546

21.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$31.78 MX$592

85.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$17.42 MX$325

35.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$5.92 MX$110

8.11%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$237 MX$4,415

82.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$9,948 MX$185.4K

14.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$56.1 MX$1,046

21.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$40.24 MX$750

32.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$104 MX$1,939

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$78.6 MX$1,465

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$567 MX$10.6K

96.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$467 MX$8,706

52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,115 MX$20.8K

132.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$766 MX$14.3K

83.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,934 MX$36.1K

87.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,128 MX$21.0K

89.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$652 MX$12.2K

45.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.53

-1.56%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tepic: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tepic

$467 38.3% 34.3% $243

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tepic

$251 20.5% 21.5% $69

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tepic

$205 16.8% 3.3% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tepic

$126 10.3% 19.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tepic

$85 7% 32.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tepic

$44 3.6% 39.2% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tepic

$43 3.5% 69.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $567 in Tepic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $43 in Tepic for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $251 per month, with Tepic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Tepic

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

371,387

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tepic 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tepic

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 Tepic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tepic differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,221 including rent). Tepic is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 45% 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 $567 in Tepic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 35% less than in Tepic. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $237 in Tepic. 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 Tepic 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 – Tepic wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.