Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,128 in Zabljak.

Mexico City $1,548
Zabljak $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,769 in Zabljak.

Mexico City $2,436
Zabljak $1,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,410 in Zabljak.

Mexico City $3,323
Zabljak $2,410

Living in Mexico City is roughly 37% more expensive than in Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Zabljak is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$7.95 €7.08

38.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.82 €28.30

52.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$6.55 €5.82

66.41%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.63 €1.45

125.77%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.24 €2.00

-27.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.45 €1.29

-13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$3.00 €2.66

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.54 €3.15

56.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.27 €1.13

33.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.65 €0.57

364.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.31 €1.17

46.56%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.97 €2.64

-8.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.08 €6.30

66.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$7.22 €6.42

31.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$12.23 €10.88

17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.32 €1.17

128.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.67 €1.49

13.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.51 €1.34

31.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.41 €1.26

55.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.65 €0.58

195.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$0.70 €0.62

167.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.91 €0.81

58.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.96 €0.86

32.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$4.01 €3.57

30.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.41 €3.92

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.07 €0.95

77.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.73 €1.54

143.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$1.63 €1.45

-79.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$39.55 €35.18

-50.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.14 €1.02

75.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.64 €0.57

-18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$17.00 €15.12

-68.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.77 €1.57

-14.12%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$29.3K €26.1K

-24.70%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$25.6K €22.7K

-4.10%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$113 €101

-46.06%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$15.02 €13.36

90.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$22.02 €19.58

56.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$46.30 €41.18

21.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$14.72 €13.10

69.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$6.21 €5.53

7.25%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$392 €349

8.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$9,812 €8,728

18.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$22.65 €20.15

199.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$27.47 €24.43

89.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$55.0 €48.89

92.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$67.7 €60.2

66.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$645 €573

58.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$455 €405

43.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,277 €1,135

80.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$937 €834

32.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,324 €2,956

8.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,357 €2,097

-17.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$801 €713

20.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.95

89.92%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 30.5% $199

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 38.3% $122

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 31.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 48.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 21.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 96.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $645 in Zabljak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 20% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Zabljak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $196 per month, with Zabljak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

05:31 5:31 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,900

💱 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Mexico City Zabljak 10,630 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
Zabljak

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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Zabljak differ by about 37% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,128 including rent). Zabljak is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $645 in Zabljak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zabljak runs roughly 101% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $392 in Zabljak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,128 in Zabljak versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zabljak but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zabljak 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 Zabljak 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 Zabljak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.