Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Union City, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $4,110 in Union City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 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
198

Cost of Living Index in Union City, CA
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Union City, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Union City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Union City, CA

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 Union City, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $4,110 in Union City, CA.

Mexico City $1,608
Union City, CA $4,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $6,063 in Union City, CA.

Mexico City $2,549
Union City, CA $6,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $8,017 in Union City, CA.

Mexico City $3,490
Union City, CA $8,017

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 61% less than in Union City, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Union City, CA 202% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$22.07 $22.07

-51.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$101 $101

-51.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$13.08 $13.08

-20.87%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$5.57 $5.57

-33.75%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.07 $3.07

-45.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.35 $2.35

-45.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$8.15 $8.15

-60.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$9.90 $9.90

-46.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.24 $1.24

38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$4.45 $4.45

-31.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$4.02 $4.02

-51.74%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$5.93 $5.93

-51.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$19.48 $19.48

-43.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$13.20 $13.20

-29.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.87 $8.87

70.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.25 $5.25

-41.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.96 $1.96

-1.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.83 $2.83

-28.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.54 $4.54

-49.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$2.25 $2.25

-9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.97 $2.97

-39.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$2.41 $2.41

-38.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.54 $2.54

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$11.71 $11.71

-54.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.64 $15.64

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.50 $2.50

-20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$3.33 $3.33

27.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$3.59 $3.59

-48.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.91 $1.91

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$29.59 $29.59

-82.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.51 $1.51

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$27.6K $27.6K

-21.07%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$25.9K $25.9K

-7.42%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$269 $269

-76.61%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$48.69 $48.69

-43.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$82.2 $82.2

-56.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$41.35 $41.35

42.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$16.30 $16.30

-60.74%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$1,855 $1,855

-76.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$39.3K $39.3K

-70.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$41.50 $41.50

64.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$50.6 $50.6

5.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$87.6 $87.6

23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$121 $121

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$3,520 $3,520

-68.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$2,700 $2,700

-73.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$4,762 $4,762

-45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$4,896 $4,896

-71.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$7,256 $7,256

-86.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.67

70.16%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Union City, CA: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Union City, CA

$2.7K 65.7% 280% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Union City, CA

$423 10.3% 32.4% $104

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Union City, CA

$365 8.9% 83.7% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Union City, CA

$135 3.3% 13.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Union City, CA

$400 9.7% 218% $274

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Union City, CA

$74 1.8% 3.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Union City, CA

$13 * 0.3% 48.4% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $3,520 in Union City, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Union City, CA pays about 7.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $101 in Union City, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $423 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Union City, CA

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

63,930

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Union City, CA 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Union City, CA

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 Union City, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $4,110 in Union City, CA, so Mexico City is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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 $3,520 in Union City, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,855 in Union City, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $101 in Union City, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $4,110 in Union City, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Union City, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Union City, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.