Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zatec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zatec: $1,232 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Zatec
Learn more

Zatec Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Zatec

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $1,232 in Zatec.

Mexico City $1,548
Zatec $1,232

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,931 in Zatec.

Mexico City $2,436
Zatec $1,931

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,630 in Zatec.

Mexico City $3,323
Zatec $2,630

Living in Mexico City is roughly 26% more expensive than in Zatec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Zatec is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$6.77 Kč 146

62.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$18.11 Kč 392

168.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.92 Kč 193

22.20%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.95 Kč 63.9

24.75%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.71 Kč 15.31

129.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.88 Kč 18.98

42.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.33 Kč 50.5

39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.71 Kč 58.5

104.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$0.83 Kč 17.85

104.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.33 Kč 28.76

127.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.24 Kč 48.54

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.45 Kč 53.0

11.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$5.88 Kč 127

100.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$5.50 Kč 119

73.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$7.07 Kč 153

103.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.26 Kč 27.29

139.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.56 Kč 33.84

21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$2.06 Kč 44.60

-3.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.29 Kč 71.2

-33.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.94 Kč 20.25

104.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.09 Kč 23.63

71.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.54 Kč 33.38

-6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.55 Kč 11.99

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.92 Kč 128

-11.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$5.36 Kč 116

201.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$0.89 Kč 19.21

113.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.70 Kč 36.86

148.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.33 Kč 7.22

3.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$25.19 Kč 545

-21.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.79 Kč 60.4

-28.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.85 Kč 39.96

-71.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$16.44 Kč 355

-67.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.86 Kč 40.18

-18.28%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$31.5K Kč 680.6K

-29.85%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$30.1K Kč 651.7K

-18.67%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$299 Kč 6,474

-79.60%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$22.74 Kč 492

25.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$18.72 Kč 405

84.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$54.6 Kč 1,181

3.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$17.30 Kč 374

43.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$12.95 Kč 280

-48.57%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$726 Kč 15.7K

-41.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$11.4K Kč 247.4K

1.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$86.8 Kč 1,877

-21.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$36.82 Kč 796

41.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$45.55 Kč 985

132.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$120 Kč 2,602

-6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$360 Kč 7,792

184.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$318 Kč 6,886

105.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,210 Kč 26.2K

90.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$928 Kč 20.1K

33.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,620 Kč 99.9K

-21.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,448 Kč 74.6K

-43.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,146 Kč 24.8K

-15.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.67

141.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zatec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Zatec

$318 25.9% 51.3% $336

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Zatec

$183 14.9% 42.3% $135

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Zatec

$140 11.4% 31.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Zatec

$130 10.6% 14.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Zatec

$341 27.7% 175% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Zatec

$80 6.5% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Zatec

$39 3.1% 50.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $360 in Zatec. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zatec pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $18.00 in Zatec for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $183 per month, with Zatec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇿 Zatec

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

13:38 1:38 PM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

19,522

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, 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).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zatec 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zatec

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 Zatec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Zatec differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $1,232 including rent). Zatec is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Zatec. 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $360 in Zatec. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Zatec runs roughly 28% 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 $726 in Zatec. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,232 in Zatec versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zatec but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zatec 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 Zatec 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 Zatec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.