Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ube

For one person, living is cheaper in Ube: $1,240 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Ube
Learn more

Ube Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Ube

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,240 in Ube.

Mexico City $1,674
Ube $1,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,925 in Ube.

Mexico City $2,606
Ube $1,925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $2,610 in Ube.

Mexico City $3,537
Ube $2,610

Living in Mexico City is roughly 35% more expensive than in Ube, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Ube is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$6.98 ¥1,106

51.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$34.82 ¥5,516

49.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$5.61 ¥889

91.27%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$3.20 ¥507

18.75%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$1.14 ¥181

41.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.81 ¥128

49.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.02 ¥320

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$3.09 ¥489

76.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.51 ¥240

13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$1.57 ¥249

89.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$4.80 ¥760

-59.79%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.20 ¥349

25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$9.93 ¥1,573

17.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$6.37 ¥1,009

48.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$15.50 ¥2,455

-0.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$5.25 ¥832

-40.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$2.62 ¥415

-25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$3.97 ¥629

-50.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$4.46 ¥707

-47.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$3.31 ¥524

-38.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$2.69 ¥427

-32.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.38 ¥218

11.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.82 ¥130

59.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$4.04 ¥640

32.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$6.65 ¥1,053

143.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.97 ¥312

-0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.35 ¥372

85.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.60 ¥253

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

$56.5 ¥8,948

-65.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$3.39 ¥537

-43.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$2.90 ¥459

-83.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$21.04 ¥3,333

-74.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.18 ¥188

25.42%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$22.8K ¥3.6M

-6.36%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

37.88%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$142 ¥22.5K

-56.31%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$27.14 ¥4,299

4.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$34.42 ¥5,453

-0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$57.7 ¥9,147

1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$13.93 ¥2,207

75.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$12.94 ¥2,049

-49.07%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$277 ¥44.0K

56.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$13.5K ¥2.1M

3.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$42.73 ¥6,769

59.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$29.68 ¥4,702

84.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$60.0 ¥9,502

84.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$91.1 ¥14.4K

27.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$462 ¥73.2K

155.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$330 ¥52.3K

133.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$860 ¥136.2K

198.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$648 ¥102.6K

119.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,856 ¥452.4K

25.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$1,757 ¥278.3K

17.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

1.81

527.07%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ube: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Ube

$330 26.6% 57.2% $441

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Ube

$306 24.7% 5.5% $18

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Ube

$135 10.9% 32.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Ube

$101 8.1% 36.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Ube

$203 16.4% 63.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Ube

$84 6.8% 16.9% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Ube

$81 6.5% 223% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $462 in Ube. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $35 in Ube for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $306 per month, with Ube cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇯🇵 Ube

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

162,570

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.61 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.61 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Ube 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ube

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 Ube: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,240 in Ube, so Ube is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,859 in Ube to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $462 in Ube. 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 Ube. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $277 in Ube. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,240 in Ube versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ube but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ube 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.