Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Timisoara

For one person, living is cheaper in Timisoara: $1,197 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Timisoara
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Timisoara Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Timisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,197 in Timisoara.

Mexico City $1,608
Timisoara $1,197

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,776 in Timisoara.

Mexico City $2,549
Timisoara $1,776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,354 in Timisoara.

Mexico City $3,490
Timisoara $2,354

Living in Mexico City is roughly 34% more expensive than in Timisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Timisoara is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.64 RON 50.9

-0.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$46.12 RON 220

4.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.44 RON 40.33

22.63%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.02 RON 14.43

22.19%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.20 RON 10.53

-24.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.64 RON 7.85

-22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.70 RON 12.92

18.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$4.10 RON 19.61

29.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.37 RON 6.56

25.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.20 RON 5.73

153.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.38 RON 6.59

40.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.92 RON 13.94

-1.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.40 RON 40.16

30.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.88 RON 28.11

57.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.89 RON 52.0

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.15 RON 5.50

165.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.46 RON 6.98

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.40 RON 6.69

45.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.37 RON 11.34

-2.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$0.77 RON 3.68

164.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$0.96 RON 4.59

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.64 RON 3.06

131.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.78 RON 3.75

62.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$6.25 RON 29.85

-15.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$7.46 RON 35.67

115.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.14 RON 5.43

73.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.75 RON 8.36

142.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.07 RON 5.11

-71.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$33.33 RON 159

-40.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.84 RON 4.03

119.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.87 RON 4.15

-39.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$8.40 RON 40.14

-36.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.90 RON 9.09

-20.53%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$28.9K RON 138.0K

-24.67%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$24.8K RON 118.3K

-3.09%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$168 RON 802

-62.46%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$6.72 RON 32.11

307.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$8.47 RON 40.47

321.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$40.08 RON 192

47.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$15.65 RON 74.8

51.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.86 RON 37.57

-18.58%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$583 RON 2,785

-25.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$8,900 RON 42.5K

28.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$75.7 RON 362

-9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$38.89 RON 186

36.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$75.5 RON 361

42.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$89.3 RON 427

31.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$568 RON 2,713

96.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$404 RON 1,929

76.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$802 RON 3,832

222.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$600 RON 2,865

134.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,656 RON 12.7K

36.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,847 RON 8,826

15.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,151 RON 5,501

-17.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.88

64.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Timisoara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Timisoara

$404 33.7% 43.2% $307

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Timisoara

$202 16.9% 36.6% $117

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Timisoara

$184 15.4% 7.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Timisoara

$126 10.5% 19.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Timisoara

$183 15.3% 45.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Timisoara

$56 4.7% 22.2% $16

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Timisoara

$43 3.6% 68.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $568 in Timisoara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Timisoara pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $46 in Timisoara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $202 per month, with Timisoara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇴 Timisoara

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

01:10 1:10 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

319,279

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Timisoara 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Timisoara

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 Timisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,197 in Timisoara, so Timisoara is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $568 in Timisoara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 41% less than in Timisoara. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $583 in Timisoara. 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 Timisoara 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.