Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zaltan

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaltan: $368 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zaltan

🇱🇾 Libya

$368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $368 in Zaltan.

Mexico City $1,608
Zaltan $368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $572 in Zaltan.

Mexico City $2,549
Zaltan $572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $776 in Zaltan.

Mexico City $3,490
Zaltan $776

Living in Mexico City is roughly 336% more expensive than in Zaltan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zaltan is 73% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$3.94 LYD 25.30

169.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$15.80 LYD 101

206.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$2.58 LYD 16.54

301.16%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 LYD 3.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 LYD 4.39

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$0.44 LYD 2.84

738.64%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.46 LYD 2.96

263.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.10 LYD 0.67

1170.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$0.97 LYD 6.25

77.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1420.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.17 LYD 7.50

65.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.36 LYD 8.72

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$5.29 LYD 33.93

107.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.57 LYD 22.90

159.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$9.26 LYD 59.4

63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.30 LYD 14.76

32.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.48 LYD 9.52

31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$0.75 LYD 4.78

170.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$0.60 LYD 3.85

285.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.77 LYD 4.96

164.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.50 LYD 3.19

260.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.42 LYD 2.70

252.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.17 LYD 1.09

647.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 LYD 11.67

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 LYD 6.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LYD 5.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$1.99 LYD 12.79

166.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$0.81 LYD 5.22

127.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.49 LYD 3.12

8.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$0.02 LYD 0.14

7450.00%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$23.8K LYD 152.8K

-8.71%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$21.4K LYD 137.0K

12.29%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$92.1 LYD 591

-31.61%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$5.97 LYD 38.29

358.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$26.61 LYD 171

34.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

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

$432 MX$8,111

$51.8 LYD 332

733.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$1,557 LYD 9,985

633.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$22.38 LYD 144

204.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$17.27 LYD 111

207.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$63.5 LYD 408

69.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$67.6 LYD 433

73.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

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 Zaltan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zaltan

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zaltan

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zaltan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zaltan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zaltan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zaltan

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zaltan

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $16 in Zaltan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $117 per month, with Zaltan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇾 Zaltan

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

06:49 6:49 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

17,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.16 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zaltan 10,660 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zaltan

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 Zaltan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $368 in Zaltan, so Zaltan is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $553 in Zaltan 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.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $52 in Zaltan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zaltan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $368 in Zaltan versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zaltan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zaltan 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.