Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Waterford

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,687 in Waterford, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Waterford
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Waterford Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Waterford

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,687 in Waterford.

Mexico City $1,567
Waterford $2,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $3,901 in Waterford.

Mexico City $2,450
Waterford $3,901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $5,115 in Waterford.

Mexico City $3,333
Waterford $5,115

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 42% less than in Waterford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 16% above, Waterford 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$22.19 €19.74

-51.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$91.1 €81.0

-44.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$12.03 €10.70

-7.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.15 €3.69

-11.33%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$3.04 €2.70

-45.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$2.06 €1.83

-36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$7.32 €6.51

-54.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.00 €5.33

-7.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.43 €1.27

23.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.33 €2.07

30.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$2.27 €2.02

-11.45%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.38 €3.89

-36.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$15.70 €13.96

-24.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.97 €9.76

-14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$13.36 €11.89

12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$2.93 €2.61

5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.19 €1.95

-10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$3.07 €2.73

-33.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.01 €3.56

-44.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.48 €1.31

36.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.51 €1.34

20.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.25 €1.11

21.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.87 €1.66

-31.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$18.37 €16.34

-71.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.06 €12.50

14.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$3.08 €2.74

-36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.12 €2.77

36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$2.84 €2.53

-89.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$62.4 €55.5

-68.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$5.07 €4.51

-60.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.42 €1.26

-62.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$54.9 €48.81

-89.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.02 €1.80

-24.75%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$38.5K €34.2K

-45.30%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$37.2K €33.1K

-32.34%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$243 €217

-74.33%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$21.08 €18.75

36.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$49.89 €44.37

-30.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$49.49 €44.02

15.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$14.17 €12.60

75.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$16.96 €15.08

-60.67%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$985 €876

-56.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$79.1 €70.4

-10.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$48.30 €42.96

7.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$109 €97.1

-0.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$112 €100

-0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,697 €1,509

-38.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$1,363 €1,212

-51.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$2,555 €2,272

-8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$2,145 €1,907

-42.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$3,136 €2,789

13.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,573 €2,288

-23.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$3,161 €2,812

-69.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.14

172.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Waterford: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Waterford

$1.4K 50.7% 105% $698

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Waterford

$351 13.1% 8.8% $28

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Waterford

$332 12.4% 63.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Waterford

$157 5.9% 1.5% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Waterford

$314 11.7% 150% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Waterford

$83 3.1% 18.4% $13

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Waterford

$86 3.2% 233% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,697 in Waterford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waterford pays 224% 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 $91.0 in Waterford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $351 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇮🇪 Waterford

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

12:32 12:32 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

40,300

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Waterford 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Waterford

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 Waterford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Waterford differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $2,687 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 224% lower in Waterford. 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 $1,697 in Waterford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 215% less than in Waterford. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $985 in Waterford. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,687 in Waterford, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Waterford. 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 Waterford 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 71% less than in Waterford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.