Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tlalnepantla

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlalnepantla: $1,115 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Tlalnepantla
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Tlalnepantla Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tlalnepantla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,115 in Tlalnepantla.

Mexico City $1,608
Tlalnepantla $1,115

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,943 in Tlalnepantla.

Mexico City $2,549
Tlalnepantla $1,943

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,772 in Tlalnepantla.

Mexico City $3,490
Tlalnepantla $2,772

Living in Mexico City is roughly 44% more expensive than in Tlalnepantla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.57 MX$198

0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$49.17 MX$919

-1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.15 MX$171

13.11%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$3.69 MX$68.9

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.55 MX$28.93

7.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$1.06 MX$19.81

19.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$3.27 MX$61.2

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$5.49 MX$103

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.72 MX$32.12

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$2.72 MX$50.9

11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.98 MX$37.09

-2.02%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.68 MX$50.2

7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$9.38 MX$175

16.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$8.91 MX$167

3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$13.64 MX$255

10.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$3.19 MX$59.5

-4.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.58 MX$29.58

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$2.05 MX$38.25

-0.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$1.86 MX$34.76

24.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$1.82 MX$33.97

12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$1.74 MX$32.49

3.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$1.50 MX$28.12

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.19 MX$22.17

6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$4.42 MX$82.7

19.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$15.85 MX$296

1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$2.02 MX$37.70

-1.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.79 MX$70.8

12.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$1.11 MX$20.67

-72.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$29.99 MX$560

-34.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$3.31 MX$61.8

-44.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$1.61 MX$30.06

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.51 MX$28.13

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$23.7K MX$443.3K

-8.31%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$23.2K MX$433.1K

3.48%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$57.4 MX$1,072

9.80%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$26.68 MX$498

2.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$35.56 MX$665

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$36.38 MX$680

62.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$21.44 MX$401

10.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.60 MX$123

-3.03%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$259 MX$4,838

66.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$5,049 MX$94.4K

126.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$51.5 MX$963

32.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$44.78 MX$837

18.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$97.0 MX$1,812

11.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$103 MX$1,922

14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$450 MX$8,404

147.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$274 MX$5,123

159.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$625 MX$11.7K

313.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$804 MX$15.0K

74.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$1,807 MX$33.8K

100.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$966 MX$18.1K

121.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$982 MX$18.4K

-3.68%

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 Tlalnepantla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tlalnepantla

$274 24.6% 61.4% $436

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tlalnepantla

$298 26.8% 6.7% $21

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tlalnepantla

$194 17.4% 2.3% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tlalnepantla

$133 12% 14.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tlalnepantla

$120 10.7% 5.1% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tlalnepantla

$50 4.5% 30.9% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tlalnepantla

$46 4.1% 79.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $450 in Tlalnepantla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tlalnepantla pays 4% 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 $49 in Tlalnepantla. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $298, with Tlalnepantla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Tlalnepantla

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

653,410

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mexico City vs Tlalnepantla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tlalnepantla differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,115 including rent). Tlalnepantla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% 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 $450 in Tlalnepantla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $259 in Tlalnepantla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 34% less than in Tlalnepantla. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tlalnepantla 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.