Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Vac

For one person, living is cheaper in Vac: $1,333 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Vac
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Vac Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,333 in Vac.

Mexico City $1,548
Vac $1,333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $2,250 in Vac.

Mexico City $2,436
Vac $2,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $3,167 in Vac.

Mexico City $3,323
Vac $3,167

Living in Mexico City is roughly 16% more expensive than in Vac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Vac is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$19.05 Ft 6,154

-42.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$111 Ft 35.9K

-56.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$9.10 Ft 2,939

19.78%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.47 Ft 798

48.99%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.55 Ft 499

5.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.25 Ft 405

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.29 Ft 739

41.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.34 Ft 755

136.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.27 Ft 409

33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.43 Ft 461

111.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.35 Ft 758

-18.30%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.22 Ft 1,040

-15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.78 Ft 2,836

34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$6.01 Ft 1,941

58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$16.46 Ft 5,319

-12.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.87 Ft 604

61.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$2.13 Ft 687

-11.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.08 Ft 673

-4.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.39 Ft 771

-8.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.67 Ft 541

14.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.10 Ft 355

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.33 Ft 431

8.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.50 Ft 163

154.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$7.82 Ft 2,525

-33.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.08 Ft 1,642

218.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.84 Ft 272

126.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.23 Ft 720

89.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.36 Ft 439

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$26.23 Ft 8,474

-25.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.30 Ft 1,065

-39.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.66 Ft 538

-68.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$19.40 Ft 6,268

-72.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.94 Ft 627

-21.65%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$25.6K Ft 8.3M

-13.88%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$38.3K Ft 12.4M

-36.07%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$154 Ft 49.7K

-60.31%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$24.43 Ft 7,891

16.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$21.58 Ft 6,971

59.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$52.9 Ft 17.1K

6.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$19.41 Ft 6,272

28.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$7.92 Ft 2,559

-15.91%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$250 Ft 80.8K

70.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$8,440 Ft 2.7M

37.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$88.8 Ft 28.7K

-23.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$32.27 Ft 10.4K

61.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$86.1 Ft 27.8K

23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$104 Ft 33.5K

8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$514 Ft 165.9K

99.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$410 Ft 132.4K

59.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$838 Ft 270.7K

175.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$779 Ft 251.6K

59.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,061 Ft 989.0K

18.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,600 Ft 839.9K

-25.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,398 Ft 451.6K

-31.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.67

69.42%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Vac: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Vac

$410 30.8% 37.4% $245

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Vac

$235 17.6% 26.2% $83

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Vac

$237 17.8% 16.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Vac

$140 10.5% 8.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Vac

$200 15% 61% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Vac

$69 5.2% 1.4% $1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Vac

$43 3.3% 68.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $514 in Vac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $111 in Vac. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $235, with Vac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

17:10 5:10 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

34,001

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Vac 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Vac differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,333 including rent). Vac is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Vac. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $514 in Vac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Vac runs roughly 33% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $250 in Vac. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,333 in Vac versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vac but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Vac 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 Vac 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 Vac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.