Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Toluca Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Toluca

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,466 in Mexico City versus $1,151 in Toluca.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,325 in Mexico City versus $1,873 in Toluca.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,184 in Mexico City versus $2,594 in Toluca.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 27% more expensive than Toluca, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 9% above, Toluca is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.30 MX$231

$9.53 MX$165

39.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.8 MX$932

$42.84 MX$742

25.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 MX$163

$8.09 MX$140

16.44%

Cappuccino

$3.59 MX$62.3

$2.92 MX$50.6

22.95%

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

$1.62 MX$28.13

$1.16 MX$20.02

39.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$19.49

$0.80 MX$13.93

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$56.3

$2.07 MX$35.82

57.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 MX$80.6

$3.39 MX$58.8

37.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$28.37

$1.37 MX$23.75

19.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$46.00

$3.42 MX$59.2

-22.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.99

$1.94 MX$33.54

1.03%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.08

$2.62 MX$45.43

-3.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.97 MX$173

$5.77 MX$99.9

72.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 MX$145

$9.90 MX$172

-15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.83 MX$205

$11.86 MX$205

-0.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$49.62

$4.24 MX$73.5

-32.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$30.05

$1.71 MX$29.60

1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$34.50

$1.95 MX$33.73

2.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$35.51

$2.17 MX$37.62

-5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$35.64

$2.46 MX$42.59

-16.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 MX$39.54

$2.39 MX$41.35

-4.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$25.05

$1.89 MX$32.74

-23.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$18.83

$1.03 MX$17.78

5.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$73.9

$4.79 MX$83.0

-10.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.67 MX$254

$13.33 MX$231

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 MX$30.58

$1.92 MX$33.30

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 MX$61.8

$3.38 MX$58.6

5.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 MX$6.67

$0.66 MX$11.39

-42.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.73 MX$325

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 MX$24.09

$3.19 MX$55.3

-56.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.26

$2.23 MX$38.68

-86.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$93.8

$7.97 MX$138

-32.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$23.22

$1.25 MX$21.58

7.20%

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

$18.9K MX$326.7K

$27.7K MX$479.3K

-31.84%

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

$23.2K MX$402.0K

$28.6K MX$496.1K

-18.97%

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

$40.30 MX$698

$46.78 MX$811

-13.85%

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

$27.15 MX$471

$21.78 MX$377

24.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.46 MX$510

$34.22 MX$593

-13.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.7 MX$914

$50.3 MX$872

4.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.17 MX$454

$22.93 MX$397

14.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 MX$107

$7.00 MX$121

-11.71%

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

$441 MX$7,637

$167 MX$2,893

164.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MX$185.4K

$5,102 MX$88.4K

109.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 MX$992

$55.9 MX$968

2.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 MX$781

$60.4 MX$1,047

-25.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,793

$94.0 MX$1,629

10.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MX$1,884

$103 MX$1,787

5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 MX$17.3K

$643 MX$11.1K

55.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 MX$11.0K

$386 MX$6,684

63.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 MX$37.1K

$941 MX$16.3K

127.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 MX$21.7K

$764 MX$13.2K

63.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,745 MX$64.9K

$1,351 MX$23.4K

177.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,381 MX$41.3K

$957 MX$16.6K

148.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,079 MX$18.7K

$1,366 MX$23.7K

-20.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.12

1.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: April 20, 2026

Last update for Toluca: April 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,000 in Mexico City and $643 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $54 in Mexico City vs $43 in Toluca. Groceries flip the comparison at $286 vs $294, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

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 Toluca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Toluca differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,466 vs $1,151 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Toluca earns 27% less. 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: $1,000 in Mexico City versus $643 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Mexico City versus $167 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Toluca – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,151 in Toluca versus $1,466 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.