Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Uster

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $3,689 in Uster, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Uster
Learn more

Uster Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Uster

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,689 in Uster.

Mexico City $1,567
Uster $3,689

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $5,289 in Uster.

Mexico City $2,450
Uster $5,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $6,889 in Uster.

Mexico City $3,333
Uster $6,889

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 58% less than in Uster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Uster 173% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$30.11 CHF 24.80

-64.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$120 CHF 98.7

-58.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$18.34 CHF 15.10

-39.48%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$6.04 CHF 4.97

-39.07%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$5.33 CHF 4.39

-69.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$4.79 CHF 3.95

-72.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$8.59 CHF 7.08

-61.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.73 CHF 5.54

-17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.23 CHF 1.83

-20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.34 CHF 2.75

-8.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$4.39 CHF 3.61

-54.21%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$7.35 CHF 6.05

-62.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$32.17 CHF 26.49

-62.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$29.34 CHF 24.17

-68.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$42.64 CHF 35.12

-64.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.44 CHF 2.84

-10.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$2.81 CHF 2.31

-27.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.58 CHF 3.78

-51.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-37.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.33 CHF 1.10

-3.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$10.65 CHF 8.77

-50.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$12.97 CHF 10.69

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.34 CHF 2.75

27.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$4.60 CHF 3.79

-93.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$99.8 CHF 82.2

-80.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$5.46 CHF 4.50

-63.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-83.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$59.4 CHF 48.94

-90.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-30.59%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$43.3K CHF 35.6K

-51.39%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-36.60%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$233 CHF 192

-73.17%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$31.89 CHF 26.26

-9.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$65.4 CHF 53.8

-47.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-22.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$45.51 CHF 37.49

-45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$21.75 CHF 17.92

-69.33%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,802 CHF 1,484

-76.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$32.6K CHF 26.8K

-63.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$164 CHF 135

-56.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$86.4 CHF 71.1

-40.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$143 CHF 118

-23.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$173 CHF 142

-35.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,678 CHF 1,382

-37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,759 CHF 1,448

-62.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,928 CHF 2,412

-19.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$2,382 CHF 1,962

-48.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$15.9K CHF 13.1K

-77.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$12.1K CHF 9,993

-83.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$6,850 CHF 5,642

-85.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

1.72

556.98%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Uster: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Uster

$1.8K 47.7% 164% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Uster

$623 16.9% 93% $300

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Uster

$465 12.6% 129% $262

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Uster

$255 6.9% 64.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Uster

$330 9% 163% $204

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Uster

$117 3.2% 66.3% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Uster

$140 3.8% 443% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,678 in Uster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Uster pays 603% 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: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $120 in Uster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $623 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Uster

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

23:48 11:48 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

33,097

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Uster 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Uster

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 Uster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Uster differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $3,689 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 603% lower in Uster. 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: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,678 in Uster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 403% less than in Uster. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $1,802 in Uster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $3,689 in Uster, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Uster. 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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Uster are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Uster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.