Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zacapoaxtla

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacapoaxtla: $1,055 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Zacapoaxtla
Learn more

Zacapoaxtla Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zacapoaxtla

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,055 in Zacapoaxtla.

Mexico City $1,608
Zacapoaxtla $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,651 in Zacapoaxtla.

Mexico City $2,549
Zacapoaxtla $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,246 in Zacapoaxtla.

Mexico City $3,490
Zacapoaxtla $2,246

Living in Mexico City is roughly 52% more expensive than in Zacapoaxtla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zacapoaxtla is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$4.67 MX$87.0

127.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$48.73 MX$908

-0.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.50 MX$103

88.18%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$1.92 MX$35.71

92.19%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$0.95 MX$17.79

75.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$1.22 MX$22.68

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.20 MX$22.39

165.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.14 MX$39.86

148.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.25 MX$23.35

37.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.12 MX$20.83

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.06 MX$19.84

83.02%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.65 MX$30.82

75.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$11.41 MX$213

-3.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.56 MX$85.0

102.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$4.96 MX$92.5

205.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$1.59 MX$29.62

91.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.26 MX$23.58

53.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$0.52 MX$9.66

290.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$0.72 MX$13.41

220.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$0.77 MX$14.36

164.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$1.05 MX$19.58

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$0.92 MX$17.22

60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.96 MX$17.89

32.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$4.19 MX$78.1

26.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$13.02 MX$243

23.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.11 MX$20.73

78.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$4.44 MX$82.7

-4.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$0.62 MX$11.62

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$30.07 MX$561

-34.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.07 MX$19.85

71.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.53 MX$9.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$5.48 MX$102

-3.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.41 MX$26.30

7.09%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$13.8K MX$257.3K

57.62%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$24.3K MX$452.2K

-1.12%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$43.05 MX$802

46.30%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$26.42 MX$493

3.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$31.94 MX$595

11.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$30.23 MX$564

94.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$17.11 MX$319

38.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$6.33 MX$118

1.11%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$439 MX$8,192

-1.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,535 MX$84.5K

151.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$68.5 MX$1,276

-0.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$52.9 MX$985

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$106 MX$1,970

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$114 MX$2,134

2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$607 MX$11.3K

83.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$437 MX$8,150

62.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,014 MX$18.9K

155.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$752 MX$14.0K

86.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$1,853 MX$34.5K

95.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,018 MX$19.0K

109.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$597 MX$11.1K

58.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zacapoaxtla: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zacapoaxtla

$437 41.4% 38.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zacapoaxtla

$188 17.8% 41.2% $132

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zacapoaxtla

$96 9.1% 51.8% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zacapoaxtla

$154 14.6% 1.4% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zacapoaxtla

$101 9.6% 19.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zacapoaxtla

$43 4.1% 40.2% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zacapoaxtla

$36 3.4% 42.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $607 in Zacapoaxtla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 58% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $49 in Zacapoaxtla. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $188, with Zacapoaxtla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇽 Zacapoaxtla

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Zacapoaxtla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Zacapoaxtla differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $1,055 including rent). Zacapoaxtla is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $607 in Zacapoaxtla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $439 in Zacapoaxtla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 34% less than in Zacapoaxtla. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Zacapoaxtla is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Zacapoaxtla wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.