Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $522 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $522 in Thimphu.

Mexico City $1,608
Thimphu $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $811 in Thimphu.

Mexico City $2,549
Thimphu $811

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Thimphu.

Mexico City $3,490
Thimphu $1,100

Living in Mexico City is roughly 208% more expensive than in Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Thimphu is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.65 BTN 253

300.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$14.45 BTN 1,375

234.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$4.94 BTN 470

109.51%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.27 BTN 121

190.55%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.53 BTN 50.4

215.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.17 BTN 16.07

647.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.68 BTN 255

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$1.55 BTN 148

242.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.77 BTN 73.6

123.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.12 BTN 107

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.03 BTN 97.7

88.35%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.95 BTN 185

48.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$3.74 BTN 356

193.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.96 BTN 377

133.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$3.89 BTN 370

288.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.52 BTN 240

21.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.51 BTN 144

28.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.64 BTN 156

23.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.76 BTN 72.8

203.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.57 BTN 54.1

257.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.71 BTN 67.6

153.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.38 BTN 35.91

289.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.31 BTN 29.93

309.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.97 BTN 377

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$2.80 BTN 267

475.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$0.62 BTN 59.0

219.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.41 BTN 134

201.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.80 BTN 76.3

-61.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$5.27 BTN 502

274.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$0.77 BTN 73.7

138.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.56 BTN 149

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$0.14 BTN 13.66

3685.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.78 BTN 74.5

93.59%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

29.78%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

54.99%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$34.15 BTN 3,251

84.42%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$35.64 BTN 3,392

-23.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$24.15 BTN 2,299

47.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$48.23 BTN 4,591

22.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$7.53 BTN 717

213.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.13 BTN 298

104.47%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$45.45 BTN 4,326

849.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$579 BTN 55.2K

1871.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$50.1 BTN 4,767

36.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$25.28 BTN 2,406

110.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$68.2 BTN 6,489

58.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$14.25 BTN 1,357

722.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$128 BTN 12.2K

766.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$88.9 BTN 8,463

699.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$191 BTN 18.1K

1258.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$155 BTN 14.8K

805.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$6,737 BTN 641.3K

-46.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$399 BTN 37.9K

435.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$348 BTN 33.1K

172.09%

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 Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Thimphu

$89 17.1% 87.5% $622

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Thimphu

$126 24.1% 60.7% $194

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Thimphu

$71 13.5% 64.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Thimphu

$71 13.6% 54.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Thimphu

$94 18% 25.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Thimphu

$55 10.5% 24% $17

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Thimphu

$17 3.3% 33% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $128 in Thimphu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.7 times 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: $48 in Mexico City vs $14 in Thimphu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $126 per month, with Thimphu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

04:42 4:42 AM

12 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.51 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.19 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.44 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Thimphu 14,710 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
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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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $522 in Thimphu, so Thimphu is about 68% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.7 times higher, 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 $128 in Thimphu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Thimphu runs roughly 73% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $45 in Thimphu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $522 in Thimphu versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Thimphu but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Thimphu 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 Thimphu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.