Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $956 in Van.

Mexico City $1,608
Van $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,536 in Van.

Mexico City $2,549
Van $1,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,116 in Van.

Mexico City $3,490
Van $2,116

Living in Mexico City is roughly 68% more expensive than in Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Van is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.48 ₺373

41.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$34.59 ₺1,724

39.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.93 ₺395

30.52%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.57 ₺178

3.36%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.14 ₺56.6

46.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.42 ₺21.18

202.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.33 ₺166

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.10 ₺154

71.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.96 ₺47.68

79.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.00 ₺49.81

204.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.25 ₺112

-13.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.48 ₺73.9

95.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.99 ₺448

22.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.07 ₺203

127.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$22.62 ₺1,127

-33.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.82 ₺90.9

67.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.83 ₺91.1

6.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.09 ₺54.4

86.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$1.15 ₺57.4

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.52 ₺25.74

292.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.35 ₺17.45

414.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.74 ₺36.88

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.61 ₺30.54

108.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$2.16 ₺108

145.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$10.36 ₺516

55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.01 ₺100.0

-1.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.79 ₺139

52.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.73 ₺36.60

-57.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.30 ₺64.6

41.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.76 ₺37.86

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$7.21 ₺359

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.28 ₺64.0

17.97%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-48.50%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-38.35%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$79.9 ₺3,982

-21.18%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$10.46 ₺522

161.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$13.39 ₺667

166.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$57.0 ₺2,842

3.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.49 ₺324

-1.39%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$624 ₺31.1K

-30.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$11.4K ₺566.2K

0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$45.86 ₺2,285

48.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$33.35 ₺1,662

59.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$79.7 ₺3,970

35.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$88.8 ₺4,426

32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$469 ₺23.4K

137.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$278 ₺13.9K

155.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$816 ₺40.7K

217.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$586 ₺29.2K

139.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,491 ₺74.3K

143.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$968 ₺48.2K

120.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

41.33

-72.54%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Van

$278 29.1% 60.8% $432

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Van

$229 23.9% 28.4% $91

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Van

$156 16.3% 21.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Van

$111 11.7% 28.5% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Van

$104 10.9% 17.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Van

$70 7.3% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 68.5% $17

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 $469 in Van. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $35 in Van for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $229 per month, with Van cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

16:56 4:56 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Van 12,480 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Van differ by about 68% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $956 including rent). Van is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,434 in Van 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $469 in Van. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $624 in Van. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Van – a meal for two runs $35 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.