Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,287 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Tsu
Learn more

Tsu Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Tsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,287 in Tsu.

Mexico City $1,608
Tsu $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,999 in Tsu.

Mexico City $2,549
Tsu $1,999

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,710 in Tsu.

Mexico City $3,490
Tsu $2,710

Living in Mexico City is roughly 25% more expensive than in Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Tsu is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$6.22 ¥982

70.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$906

$17.49 ¥2,763

176.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$3.91 ¥617

164.71%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.2

$2.34 ¥369

57.69%

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

$1.67 MX$31.23

$1.14 ¥181

46.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.71

$0.58 ¥90.9

118.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.8

$2.10 ¥331

51.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.5

$2.35 ¥372

125.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.58 ¥249

8.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.0

$1.28 ¥203

137.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$5.63 ¥889

-65.54%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.1

$2.02 ¥319

43.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.56 ¥1,984

-12.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$9.77 ¥1,543

-5.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$32.52 ¥5,135

-53.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.1

$3.68 ¥581

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.38

$2.29 ¥362

-15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.95

$6.41 ¥1,012

-68.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.38

$4.17 ¥659

-44.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.14

$3.84 ¥607

-46.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.73

$3.47 ¥548

-48.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.72

$1.30 ¥205

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.75

$1.03 ¥163

23.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.53 ¥558

50.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$8.37 ¥1,322

92.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.16

$2.04 ¥323

-2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.7

$1.47 ¥233

189.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.72

$1.48 ¥234

-79.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

$56.5 ¥8,926

-65.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.44

$3.23 ¥509

-43.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.00

$3.22 ¥509

-83.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.2

$26.97 ¥4,259

-80.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.31

$1.04 ¥164

45.19%

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

$21.8K MX$407.7K

$19.0K ¥3.0M

14.54%

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

$24.0K MX$449.5K

$16.7K ¥2.6M

43.36%

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

$63.0 MX$1,180

$145 ¥22.8K

-56.45%

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

$27.39 MX$513

$24.21 ¥3,824

13.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$668

$43.47 ¥6,866

-17.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,105

$51.3 ¥8,107

14.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

$12.93 ¥2,042

82.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.34 ¥1,317

-23.26%

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

$432 MX$8,088

$322 ¥50.8K

34.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.1K

$6,217 ¥981.8K

83.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,278

$49.15 ¥7,762

38.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$996

$25.83 ¥4,079

105.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,020

$46.87 ¥7,403

129.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,198

$65.4 ¥10.3K

79.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$544 ¥85.9K

104.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$342 ¥53.9K

108.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.5K

$1,021 ¥161.2K

153.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$738 ¥116.6K

90.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.0K

$4,287 ¥677.0K

-15.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.0K

$2,268 ¥358.3K

-5.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$1,511 ¥238.6K

-37.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

1.9

497.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Tsu

$342 26.5% 51.9% $369

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Tsu

$388 30.1% 21.4% $68

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Tsu

$112 8.7% 43.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Tsu

$84 6.5% 46% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Tsu

$212 16.5% 68.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Tsu

$68 5.3% 5.2% $3.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Tsu

$82 6.4% 221% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $544 in Tsu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tsu pays 60% 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 $17 in Tsu. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $388, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Tsu

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

279,241

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Tsu 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,287 in Tsu, so Tsu is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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 $544 in Tsu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 65% less than in Tsu. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $322 in Tsu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tsu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.