Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tokyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,688 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tokyo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
Learn more

Tokyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,688 in Tokyo.

Mexico City $1,608
Tokyo $1,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,588 in Tokyo.

Mexico City $2,549
Tokyo $2,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,489 in Tokyo.

Mexico City $3,490
Tokyo $3,489

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 5% less than in Tokyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Tokyo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$7.72 ¥1,217

37.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$37.51 ¥5,909

28.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.01 ¥788

106.59%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.68 ¥579

0.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.51 ¥238

10.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.85 ¥133

49.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.77 ¥594

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$5.75 ¥906

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.49 ¥235

15.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.73 ¥273

75.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$5.80 ¥913

-66.55%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.25 ¥354

28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.50 ¥1,811

-4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.96 ¥1,096

32.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$16.39 ¥2,582

-7.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$4.73 ¥745

-35.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.28 ¥359

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$4.26 ¥671

-52.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$5.37 ¥845

-56.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$3.29 ¥519

-37.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$3.00 ¥473

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.15 ¥181

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.80 ¥126

58.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.89 ¥613

36.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$9.72 ¥1,531

65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.70 ¥268

16.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.66 ¥419

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.25 ¥197

-75.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$62.4 ¥9,835

-68.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$3.15 ¥495

-41.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$3.14 ¥494

-83.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$18.98 ¥2,989

-72.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.11 ¥175

36.04%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$22.5K ¥3.5M

-3.31%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

56.39%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$147 ¥23.1K

-57.13%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$23.17 ¥3,650

18.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$30.10 ¥4,741

18.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$57.4 ¥9,048

2.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$26.48 ¥4,171

-10.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$13.39 ¥2,109

-52.20%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$1,410 ¥222.1K

-69.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$18.6K ¥2.9M

-38.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$55.3 ¥8,715

23.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$32.43 ¥5,108

63.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$64.4 ¥10.1K

67.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$72.1 ¥11.4K

62.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,329 ¥209.4K

-16.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$729 ¥114.8K

-2.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,622 ¥413.1K

-1.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,401 ¥220.7K

0.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$10.7K ¥1.7M

-66.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$5,054 ¥796.1K

-57.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,019 ¥475.5K

-68.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.25

404.44%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tokyo

$729 43.2% 2.6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tokyo

$327 19.4% 2.5% $7.9

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tokyo

$161 9.5% 19.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tokyo

$101 6% 35.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tokyo

$200 11.9% 58.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tokyo

$84 5% 17.4% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tokyo

$86 5.1% 239% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $38 in Tokyo. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $327, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

07:14 7:14 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

13,613,660 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tokyo 11,300 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 Tokyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,688 in Tokyo, so Mexico City is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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 $1,329 in Tokyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,410 in Tokyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tokyo – a meal for two runs $38 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Tokyo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.