Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $441 in Zawiya.

Mexico City $1,608
Zawiya $441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $686 in Zawiya.

Mexico City $2,549
Zawiya $686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $930 in Zawiya.

Mexico City $3,490
Zawiya $930

Living in Mexico City is roughly 264% more expensive than in Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Zawiya is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$2.30 LYD 14.76

361.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$15.47 LYD 99.3

212.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$2.71 LYD 17.41

281.92%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$0.44 LYD 2.83

738.64%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$0.44 LYD 2.85

279.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.11 LYD 0.71

1054.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$0.91 LYD 5.83

89.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$0.20 LYD 1.28

1420.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.01 LYD 6.51

92.08%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$1.35 LYD 8.67

114.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$4.74 LYD 30.43

131.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$3.57 LYD 22.92

159.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.86 LYD 56.9

70.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.02 LYD 12.94

50.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.47 LYD 9.45

31.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$0.70 LYD 4.50

190.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$0.51 LYD 3.27

352.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$0.58 LYD 3.73

251.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$0.26 LYD 1.65

592.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.30 LYD 1.91

393.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.16 LYD 1.05

693.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 LYD 5.08

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 LYD 4.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$1.67 LYD 10.73

217.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.74 LYD 4.76

-58.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$39.22 LYD 252

-49.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$0.75 LYD 4.80

145.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.45 LYD 2.88

17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$2.31 LYD 14.83

129.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$0.02 LYD 0.12

7450.00%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$15.5K LYD 99.5K

40.29%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$16.8K LYD 107.6K

43.07%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$94.4 LYD 606

-33.27%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$5.57 LYD 35.75

391.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$12.25 LYD 78.6

191.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$17.31 LYD 111

240.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$4.01 LYD 25.74

489.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$3.92 LYD 25.19

63.27%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$51.5 LYD 330

738.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$897 LYD 5,758

1173.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$20.81 LYD 134

227.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$44.19 LYD 284

20.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$30.99 LYD 199

247.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$31.62 LYD 203

270.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$88.9 LYD 570

1152.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$58.4 LYD 375

1115.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$164 LYD 1,050

1481.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$121 LYD 774

1066.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$347 LYD 2,230

944.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$98.1 LYD 630

2075.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$251 LYD 1,611

276.90%

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 Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 91.8% $652

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 65.9% $211

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Zawiya

$34 7.7% 82.9% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Zawiya

$57 13% 63.2% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 11% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Zawiya

$25 5.7% 64.9% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Zawiya

$45 10.2% 77.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $89 in Zawiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $15 in Zawiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $109 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

19:26 7:26 PM

03:26 3:26 AM

8 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

318,726

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.42 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.15 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zawiya 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $441 in Zawiya, so Zawiya is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 3.8 times higher, 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 $89 in Zawiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 50% less than in Zawiya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $51 in Zawiya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $441 in Zawiya versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Zawiya but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiya 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.

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