Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $782 in Yaounde.

Mexico City $1,567
Yaounde $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $1,206 in Yaounde.

Mexico City $2,450
Yaounde $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $1,629 in Yaounde.

Mexico City $3,333
Yaounde $1,629

Living in Mexico City is roughly 100% more expensive than in Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Yaounde is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

207.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

-0.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

123.34%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

96.79%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.46 FCFA 854

13.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.56 FCFA 324

132.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$1.20 FCFA 698

176.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$1.68 FCFA 980

229.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

-51.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$1.03 FCFA 602

196.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.27 FCFA 743

58.27%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

37.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

-14.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

54.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

133.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

-38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

2.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$1.35 FCFA 786

63.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$1.63 FCFA 952

23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$1.39 FCFA 813

30.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.12 FCFA 654

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$0.65 FCFA 381

96.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$1.68 FCFA 982

213.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

95.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$1.32 FCFA 772

47.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

119.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$0.52 FCFA 305

-40.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

15.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$0.62 FCFA 363

222.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.45 FCFA 261

17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

-4.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.46 FCFA 848

4.11%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

-35.42%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

18.78%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

-22.00%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

67.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

-32.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

139.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

258.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

-19.83%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$615 FCFA 358.4K

-29.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

403.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

322.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

89.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

332.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

101.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$142 FCFA 83.0K

638.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$183 FCFA 106.7K

263.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$408 FCFA 238.1K

474.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$208 FCFA 121.2K

490.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$855 FCFA 498.8K

315.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$589 FCFA 343.7K

235.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$185 FCFA 107.8K

426.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-13.08%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Yaounde

$183 23.4% 72.5% $482

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Yaounde

$249 31.8% 22.9% $74

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Yaounde

$83 10.6% 59.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Yaounde

$56 7.2% 63.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Yaounde

$149 19% 18.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Yaounde

$40 5.2% 42.5% $30

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Yaounde

$22 2.8% 14.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,051 in Mexico City and $142 in Yaounde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 427% 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 $51.0 in Yaounde. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $249, with Yaounde cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Yaounde 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Yaounde

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 Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Yaounde differ by about 100% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $782 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 427% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $142 in Yaounde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Yaounde runs roughly 15% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $615 in Yaounde. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $782 in Yaounde versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Yaounde 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.

Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 100% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.