Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ulan Ude

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulan Ude: $1,138 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
Learn more

Ulan Ude Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Ulan Ude

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,138 in Ulan Ude.

Mexico City $1,608
Ulan Ude $1,138

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,770 in Ulan Ude.

Mexico City $2,549
Ulan Ude $1,770

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,402 in Ulan Ude.

Mexico City $3,490
Ulan Ude $2,402

Living in Mexico City is roughly 41% more expensive than in Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ulan Ude is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.01 ₽565

51.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$49.90 ₽4,019

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$7.38 ₽595

40.24%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.70 ₽298

-0.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.82 ₽147

-8.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.89 ₽153

-32.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.80 ₽306

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$6.33 ₽510

-16.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.46 ₽117

17.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.87 ₽70.1

249.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.43 ₽115

35.66%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.22 ₽179

30.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.66 ₽1,019

-13.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$6.81 ₽548

35.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$13.50 ₽1,087

12.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.12 ₽171

43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.86 ₽150

4.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.87 ₽151

8.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$2.81 ₽226

-17.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.67 ₽53.9

204.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.79 ₽63.6

127.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.19 ₽176

-32.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.65 ₽52.7

95.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.00 ₽242

76.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$6.99 ₽563

130.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.51 ₽121

31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$1.28 ₽103

232.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.49 ₽39.36

-36.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$24.50 ₽1,973

-19.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.27 ₽102

44.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.15 ₽12.31

253.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$7.50 ₽604

-29.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.81 ₽65.6

86.42%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$50.2K ₽4.0M

-56.68%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$37.7K ₽3.0M

-36.34%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$95.1 ₽7,655

-33.74%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$4.84 ₽390

465.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$7.89 ₽635

352.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$24.48 ₽1,971

140.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$49.19 ₽3,962

-51.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.49 ₽603

-14.55%

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

$432 MX$8,111

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$73.2 ₽5,895

-6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$30.56 ₽2,461

73.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$122 ₽9,859

-11.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$126 ₽10.1K

-6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$526 ₽42.3K

111.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$396 ₽31.9K

79.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$814 ₽65.5K

218.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$616 ₽49.6K

128.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,138 ₽172.2K

69.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,580 ₽127.3K

35.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$911 ₽73.4K

3.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

21.67

-47.62%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ulan Ude: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ulan Ude

$396 34.8% 44.2% $314

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ulan Ude

$238 20.9% 25.5% $82

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ulan Ude

$169 14.9% 14.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ulan Ude

$158 13.9% 1.7% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ulan Ude

$108 9.5% 14.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ulan Ude

$39 3.5% 45% $32

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ulan Ude

$28 2.5% 11.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $526 in Ulan Ude. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $50 in Ulan Ude. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $238, with Ulan Ude cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

17:06 5:06 PM

14 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

436,138

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Ulan Ude 11,680 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,138 in Ulan Ude, so Ulan Ude is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $526 in Ulan Ude. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $50 in Ulan Ude. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 19% less than in Ulan Ude. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ulan Ude 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 – Ulan Ude wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.