Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ventanas

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventanas: $860 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Ventanas
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Ventanas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ventanas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$860

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $860 in Ventanas.

Mexico City $1,608
Ventanas $860

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,437 in Ventanas.

Mexico City $2,549
Ventanas $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,014 in Ventanas.

Mexico City $3,490
Ventanas $2,014

Living in Mexico City is roughly 87% more expensive than in Ventanas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ventanas is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.05 $4.05

162.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$52.5 $52.5

-7.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$9.12 $9.12

13.49%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$2.88 $2.88

28.13%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.88 $0.88

89.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.72 $0.72

76.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.06 $3.06

4.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.33 $4.33

22.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.20 $1.20

43.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.01 $2.01

51.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.41 $1.41

37.59%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.05 $2.05

40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.08 $7.08

54.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$5.01 $5.01

84.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$9.03 $9.03

67.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.53 $1.53

99.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.20 $1.20

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.97 $0.97

109.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.98 $0.98

135.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.22 $1.22

67.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$0.90 $0.90

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.87 $0.87

70.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.01 $1.01

25.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$6.15 $6.15

-13.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.81 $11.81

36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.56 $1.56

26.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.20 $2.20

93.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.37 $0.37

-16.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$2.79 $2.79

-34.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.71 $1.71

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$11.89 $11.89

-55.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$0.83 $0.83

81.93%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$23.3K $23.3K

-6.82%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$30.9K $30.9K

-22.48%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$33.71 $33.71

86.83%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$14.96 $14.96

83.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$25.70 $25.70

38.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$33.45 $33.45

76.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$15.48 $15.48

52.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.52 $7.52

-14.89%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$367 $367

17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$5,718 $5,718

99.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$66.1 $66.1

3.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$40.26 $40.26

31.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$126 $126

-14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$90.7 $90.7

29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$368 $368

202.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$254 $254

179.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$696 $696

271.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$513 $513

174.18%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.05

12.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ventanas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ventanas

$254 29.5% 64.2% $456

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ventanas

$200 23.3% 37.4% $120

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ventanas

$125 14.5% 37.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ventanas

$145 16.9% 6.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ventanas

$74 8.7% 41% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ventanas

$49 5.6% 32.4% $23

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ventanas

$13 * 1.5% 49.7% $13

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 $368 in Ventanas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $53 in Ventanas. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $200, with Ventanas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Ventanas

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

18:46 6:46 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

38,168

💱 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 Ventanas 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ventanas

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 Ventanas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $860 in Ventanas, so Ventanas is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,290 in Ventanas 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 $368 in Ventanas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $367 in Ventanas. 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 $53 in Ventanas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $860 in Ventanas versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ventanas but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ventanas 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.