Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Toluca

For one person, living is cheaper in Toluca: $1,114 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Toluca
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Toluca Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Toluca

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,114 in Toluca.

Mexico City $1,608
Toluca $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,826 in Toluca.

Mexico City $2,549
Toluca $1,826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,539 in Toluca.

Mexico City $3,490
Toluca $2,539

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$10.72 MX$201

-0.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$43.64 MX$819

10.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$9.07 MX$170

14.11%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.12 MX$58.6

18.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.25 MX$23.45

33.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.77 MX$14.52

64.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$2.11 MX$39.66

51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.35 MX$62.8

58.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.75 MX$32.87

-1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.09 MX$58.1

-1.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.24 MX$42.07

-13.39%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.15 MX$59.1

-8.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.88 MX$148

39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.19 MX$154

12.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$8.82 MX$166

71.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$4.09 MX$76.9

-25.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$2.08 MX$39.10

-6.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$2.30 MX$43.21

-11.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.32 MX$43.52

-0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$2.91 MX$54.7

-29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.30 MX$43.17

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.69 MX$31.73

-12.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.00 MX$18.70

27.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$4.86 MX$91.3

9.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$12.21 MX$229

31.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.99 MX$37.28

-0.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$3.65 MX$68.6

16.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.79 MX$14.76

-60.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$44.42 MX$834

-55.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$3.25 MX$61.0

-43.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.95 MX$36.69

-72.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$10.12 MX$190

-47.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.44 MX$27.03

4.86%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$24.5K MX$459.8K

-11.17%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$22.8K MX$427.8K

5.27%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$55.9 MX$1,050

12.61%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$25.40 MX$477

7.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$31.81 MX$597

12.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$39.99 MX$751

47.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$22.69 MX$426

4.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$6.98 MX$131

-8.31%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$219 MX$4,117

96.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$5,195 MX$97.5K

119.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$64.9 MX$1,219

5.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$53.3 MX$1,000

-0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$101 MX$1,895

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$105 MX$1,979

11.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$412 MX$7,740

170.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$276 MX$5,183

157.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,005 MX$18.9K

157.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$589 MX$11.1K

138.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,288 MX$24.2K

181.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$898 MX$16.9K

137.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,238 MX$23.2K

-23.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.07

2.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Toluca: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Toluca

$276 24.8% 61.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Toluca

$289 25.9% 9.7% $31

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Toluca

$176 15.8% 11.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Toluca

$146 13.1% 6.3% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Toluca

$113 10.2% 10.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Toluca

$54 4.8% 24.8% $18

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Toluca

$61 5.4% 138% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $412 in Toluca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 31% 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 $44 in Toluca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $289 per month, with Toluca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Toluca

🕒 Local time

14:37 2:37 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

223,876

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,114 in Toluca, so Toluca is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% 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 $412 in Toluca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 56% less than in Toluca. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $219 in Toluca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,114 in Toluca versus $1,608 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.