Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zaandam

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaandam: $1,346 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Zaandam
Learn more

Zaandam Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zaandam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,346

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,346 in Zaandam.

Mexico City $1,608
Zaandam $1,346

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,401 in Zaandam.

Mexico City $2,549
Zaandam $3,401

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $5,457 in Zaandam.

Mexico City $3,490
Zaandam $5,457

Living in Mexico City is roughly 19% more expensive than in Zaandam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$21.36 €19.18

-50.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$80.5 €72.3

-39.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$13.43 €12.07

-22.93%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$4.18 €3.76

-11.72%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$3.91 €3.51

-57.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$3.24 €2.91

-60.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$5.69 €5.11

-43.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$5.29 €4.75

0.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.34 €1.20

28.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.84 €2.55

7.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.74 €2.46

-29.20%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$4.74 €4.26

-39.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$13.67 €12.28

-19.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$12.83 €11.52

-27.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$16.85 €15.14

-10.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.57 €2.31

18.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.36 €2.12

-17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$1.89 €1.70

7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$4.42 €3.97

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$1.90 €1.71

7.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.28 €2.05

-21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.19 €1.07

24.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$1.05 €0.94

20.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$14.13 €12.69

-62.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$6.90 €6.20

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.45 €1.30

36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.37 €2.13

79.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$3.38 €3.03

-90.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$82.9 €74.5

-76.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$6.24 €5.60

-70.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$2.27 €2.04

-76.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$25.45 €22.86

-79.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$2.48 €2.23

-39.11%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$41.5K €37.2K

-47.54%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$39.5K €35.5K

-39.27%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$260 €234

-75.78%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$23.77 €21.35

15.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$56.4 €50.7

-36.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$45.34 €40.73

30.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$27.64 €24.83

-14.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$16.41 €14.74

-61.00%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$2,665 €2,394

-83.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$6,619 €5,946

72.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$86.4 €77.6

-21.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$40.70 €36.56

30.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$97.8 €87.8

10.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$102 €91.9

14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,336 €1,200

-16.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,701 €1,528

52.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$2,484 €2,231

-43.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$5,349 €4,805

-32.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$4,318 €3,879

-50.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$4,636 €4,165

-79.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.8

198.68%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zaandam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zaandam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zaandam

$337 25.1% 5.6% $18

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zaandam

$329 24.4% 65.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zaandam

$147 10.9% 5.6% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zaandam

$340 25.3% 170% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zaandam

$78 5.8% 8.9% $6.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zaandam

$114 8.5% 348% $89

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 $1,336 in Zaandam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zaandam pays about 4.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $80 in Zaandam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $337 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇳🇱 Zaandam

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

76,804

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Zaandam 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zaandam

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 Zaandam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Zaandam differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,346 including rent). Zaandam is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Mexico City. 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,336 in Zaandam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 76% less than in Zaandam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $2,665 in Zaandam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Zaandam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.