Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tibas

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Tibas: $1,674 and $1,710 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,710 in Tibas.

Mexico City $1,674
Tibas $1,710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,659 in Tibas.

Mexico City $2,606
Tibas $2,659

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,607 in Tibas.

Mexico City $3,537
Tibas $3,607

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and Tibas; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Tibas 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$12.33 ₡5,544

-14.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$33.58 ₡15.1K

54.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$10.96 ₡4,924

-2.10%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.81 ₡1,712

-0.26%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$2.36 ₡1,062

-31.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$1.93 ₡868

-37.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.70 ₡1,214

17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.53 ₡2,036

20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$2.39 ₡1,076

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$3.07 ₡1,379

-3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$2.47 ₡1,112

-21.86%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$3.52 ₡1,583

-21.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$10.65 ₡4,788

9.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$10.45 ₡4,696

-9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$13.84 ₡6,220

11.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$5.18 ₡2,330

-40.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.59 ₡713

23.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$4.73 ₡2,126

-58.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$3.93 ₡1,766

-40.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$3.78 ₡1,698

-46.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$3.69 ₡1,658

-50.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.07 ₡481

43.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$3.12 ₡1,402

-58.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$5.82 ₡2,616

-8.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$19.81 ₡8,905

-18.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.75 ₡1,235

-28.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.64 ₡1,638

19.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.29 ₡580

-76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$2.38 ₡1,070

-19.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.57 ₡707

-70.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$8.59 ₡3,862

-37.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.58 ₡709

-6.33%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$33.7K ₡15.1M

-36.57%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$42.1K ₡18.9M

-43.51%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$93.9 ₡42.2K

-33.99%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$36.26 ₡16.3K

-21.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-43.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$67.7 ₡30.4K

-13.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$7.57 ₡3,401

-12.95%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$977 ₡439.0K

-55.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-19.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$71.2 ₡32.0K

-4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$131 ₡59.0K

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$131 ₡58.8K

-11.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$795 ₡357.6K

48.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$630 ₡283.3K

22.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$1,934 ₡869.2K

32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$1,287 ₡578.7K

10.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$1,000 ₡449.7K

0.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tibas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Tibas

$630 36.9% 18.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Tibas

$399 23.4% 23.4% $76

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Tibas

$217 12.7% 8.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Tibas

$175 10.2% 11.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Tibas

$190 11.1% 52.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Tibas

$83 4.8% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Tibas

$15 * 0.9% 38.3% $9.6

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 $795 in Tibas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $34 in Tibas. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $399, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Tibas

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

64,842

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tibas 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tibas

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 Tibas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $2,565 in Tibas 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 $795 in Tibas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $977 in Tibas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Tibas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City 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.