Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tokushima

For one person, living is cheaper in Tokushima: $1,274 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tokushima
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Tokushima Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Tokushima

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,274 in Tokushima.

Mexico City $1,548
Tokushima $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,039 in Tokushima.

Mexico City $2,436
Tokushima $2,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,804 in Tokushima.

Mexico City $3,323
Tokushima $2,804

Living in Mexico City is roughly 21% more expensive than in Tokushima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Tokushima is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.05 ¥1,115

56.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.38 ¥4,958

55.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.08 ¥803

114.57%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.44 ¥386

50.82%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.29 ¥204

26.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.81 ¥128

54.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.13 ¥495

3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.09 ¥489

78.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.49 ¥235

14.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.50 ¥237

101.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$4.05 ¥641

-52.59%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.21 ¥349

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$15.82 ¥2,499

-25.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.99 ¥1,105

36.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$17.41 ¥2,751

-17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$8.19 ¥1,293

-63.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$3.02 ¥477

-37.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$5.08 ¥803

-60.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$6.12 ¥967

-64.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$3.72 ¥588

-48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$3.79 ¥599

-50.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.14 ¥179

26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.84 ¥132

51.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$3.96 ¥626

31.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.68 ¥1,530

67.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.50 ¥395

-24.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.07 ¥327

103.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.52 ¥240

-77.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$53.7 ¥8,487

-63.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.21 ¥507

-37.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.90 ¥459

-82.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$31.93 ¥5,045

-83.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.10 ¥174

38.18%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

1.27%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

64.47%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$114 ¥18.1K

-46.56%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$23.74 ¥3,750

20.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$31.53 ¥4,981

9.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$60.5 ¥9,559

-6.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$24.82 ¥3,922

0.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$11.34 ¥1,792

-41.27%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$578 ¥91.3K

-26.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-21.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$49.24 ¥7,779

37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$35.51 ¥5,610

46.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$60.6 ¥9,579

74.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$98.6 ¥15.6K

14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$522 ¥82.5K

96.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$334 ¥52.8K

95.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,083 ¥171.1K

113.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$731 ¥115.4K

69.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,217 ¥666.3K

-14.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,734 ¥274.0K

11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,386 ¥219.0K

-30.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

2.02

459.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Tokushima: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Tokushima

$334 26.2% 49% $320

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Tokushima

$369 29% 16% $51

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Tokushima

$131 10.3% 35.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Tokushima

$110 8.6% 27.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Tokushima

$170 13.3% 36.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Tokushima

$83 6.5% 19.4% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Tokushima

$78 6.1% 202% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $522 in Tokushima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokushima pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $31.00 in Tokushima. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $369, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Tokushima

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

252,391

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Tokushima 11,790 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Tokushima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Tokushima differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,274 including rent). Tokushima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Tokushima. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $522 in Tokushima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Tokushima runs roughly 173% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $578 in Tokushima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,274 in Tokushima versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tokushima but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tokushima 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 Tokushima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.