Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $895 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
Learn more

Yala Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $895 in Yala.

Mexico City $1,548
Yala $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,487 in Yala.

Mexico City $2,436
Yala $1,487

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,079 in Yala.

Mexico City $3,323
Yala $2,079

Living in Mexico City is roughly 73% more expensive than in Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Yala is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$1.51 ฿50.3

629.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$24.70 ฿825

97.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.73 ฿225

61.96%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.92 ฿64.0

91.67%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.56 ฿18.76

191.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.16 ฿5.42

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.90 ฿63.4

71.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.30 ฿110

67.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.54 ฿51.3

10.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.22 ฿40.90

147.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.33 ฿44.51

44.36%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.79 ฿59.7

52.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$18.29 ฿611

-35.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.96 ฿98.8

221.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.26 ฿309

55.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.02 ฿101

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.14 ฿37.97

65.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.09 ฿69.7

-4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.95 ฿65.3

12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.57 ฿52.3

22.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.97 ฿32.44

92.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.17 ฿39.17

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.53 ฿17.62

139.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.87 ฿163

7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$16.33 ฿546

-0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.64 ฿54.8

15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.58 ฿86.2

63.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.61 ฿20.44

-44.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.12 ฿37.42

78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.31 ฿43.70

-60.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$6.43 ฿215

-16.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.42 ฿47.43

7.04%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$26.5K ฿887.0K

-16.82%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$26.5K ฿887.1K

-7.66%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$85.4 ฿2,853

-28.46%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.99 ฿401

138.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$19.46 ฿650

77.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$44.07 ฿1,473

27.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$13.69 ฿458

81.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.63 ฿222

0.45%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$589 ฿19.7K

-27.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.3K ฿376.2K

3.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$45.88 ฿1,533

47.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$32.27 ฿1,079

61.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$77.6 ฿2,592

36.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$80.9 ฿2,704

39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$475 ฿15.9K

115.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$289 ฿9,662

126.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

97.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$759 ฿25.4K

63.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,762 ฿58.9K

105.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,405 ฿46.9K

37.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.57

102.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Yala

$289 32.3% 55.8% $365

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Yala

$241 26.9% 24.2% $77

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Yala

$74 8.3% 63.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Yala

$106 11.9% 30.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Yala

$117 13.1% 5.9% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Yala

$57 6.4% 17.7% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Yala

$10 * 1.1% 60.6% $16

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $475 in Yala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $25.00 in Yala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $241 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

19:32 7:32 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

60,617

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Yala 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Yala differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $895 including rent). Yala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,322 in Mexico City and $1,343 in Yala 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $475 in Yala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $589 in Yala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $895 in Yala versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yala but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Yala 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 Yala 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 Yala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.