Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Italy
For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,274 in Mexico versus $1,843 in Italy.
Mexico $1,274
Italy $1,843
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Mexico versus $2,816 in Italy.
Mexico $2,010
Italy $2,816
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,746 in Mexico versus $3,788 in Italy.
Mexico $2,746
Italy $3,788
📏
Mexico ($730–$2,625) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.
🌍
Living in Mexico costs about 31% less than in Italy on average.
📊
Mexico (6% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.63MX$200
$20.46€18.32
-48.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.29MX$813
$79.5€71.2
-45.55%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.94MX$168
$11.15€9.99
-19.82%
Cappuccino
$3.61MX$67.7
$2.04€1.83
76.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48MX$27.70
$3.10€2.78
-52.26%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00MX$18.77
$1.40€1.25
-28.57%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.67MX$50.0
$5.51€4.94
-51.54%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.37MX$82.0
$5.74€5.14
-23.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.59MX$29.76
$1.57€1.41
1.27%
White Bread(500g)
$2.67MX$50.2
$2.38€2.13
12.18%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.68MX$31.57
$2.90€2.60
-42.07%
Eggs
$2.52MX$47.38
$4.07€3.65
-38.08%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$8.79MX$165
$17.44€15.62
-49.60%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$7.97MX$150
$12.56€11.25
-36.54%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$11.50MX$216
$20.17€18.06
-42.98%
Apples(1kg)
$2.76MX$51.7
$2.58€2.31
6.98%
Banana(1kg)
$1.52MX$28.61
$2.19€1.96
-30.59%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.95MX$36.70
$2.68€2.40
-27.24%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.97MX$36.93
$3.27€2.93
-39.76%
Potato(1kg)
$1.96MX$36.84
$1.90€1.70
3.16%
Onion(1kg)
$2.03MX$38.08
$1.82€1.63
11.54%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.43MX$26.90
$1.57€1.40
-8.92%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14MX$21.39
$0.55€0.49
107.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.52MX$84.9
$6.69€5.99
-32.44%
Wine(Bottle)
$10.87MX$204
$7.99€7.15
36.05%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77MX$33.14
$1.77€1.59
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19MX$59.9
$2.35€2.11
35.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.62MX$11.64
$1.91€1.71
-67.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$29.85MX$560
$43.44€38.90
-31.28%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$2.66MX$49.97
$5.62€5.03
-52.67%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$2.72MX$51.0
$1.71€1.54
59.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$10.63MX$200
$33.64€30.12
-68.40%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.40MX$26.24
$2.03€1.82
-31.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0KMX$450.0K
$35.3K€31.6K
-32.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9KMX$449.0K
$36.7K€32.9K
-34.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$69.2MX$1,299
$227€203
-69.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.51MX$441
$11.59€10.38
102.85%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.00MX$544
$30.38€27.21
-4.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$34.74MX$652
$51.8€46.37
-32.90%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.46MX$328
$23.70€21.22
-26.33%
Cinema Ticket
$5.24MX$98.5
$10.60€9.50
-50.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$261MX$4,892
$568€508
-54.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$5,999MX$112.6K
$11.5K€10.3K
-47.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.8MX$1,048
$90.5€81.1
-38.32%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.58MX$781
$38.55€34.53
7.86%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$96.3MX$1,809
$103€91.9
-6.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.1MX$1,691
$131€117
-31.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$713MX$13.4K
$826€739
-13.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$477MX$8,954
$646€579
-26.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,358MX$25.5K
$1,400€1,254
-3.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$906MX$17.0K
$1,054€944
-14.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$2,597MX$48.7K
$3,662€3,280
-29.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,565MX$29.4K
$2,301€2,061
-31.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$773MX$14.5K
$1,886€1,689
-58.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
11.43
3.56
221.07%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026
Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Mexico
$477 37.4%
Italy
$646 35.1% ↑ 35.5%$169
🛒Groceries & Markets
Mexico
$267 21%
Italy
$348 18.9% ↑ 30.3%$81
🍽Eating Out
Mexico
$187 14.7%
Italy
$279 15.1% ↑ 48.9%$91
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Mexico
$128 10%
Italy
$163 8.9% ↑ 27.8%$35
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico
$122 9.6%
Italy
$269 14.6% ↑ 121%$147
🚌Getting Around
Mexico
$49 3.8%
Italy
$65 3.5% ↑ 34.4%$17
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Mexico
$45 3.6%
Italy
$73 4% ↑ 61.4%$28
🏠Accommodation & Living
Mexico
$906 33%
Italy
$1.1K 27.8% ↑ 16.4%$148
🛒Groceries & Markets
Mexico
$612 22.3%
Italy
$823 21.7% ↑ 34.4%$211
🍽Eating Out
Mexico
$593 21.6%
Italy
$964 25.5% ↑ 62.7%$372
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Mexico
$284 10.3%
Italy
$363 9.6% ↑ 27.8%$79
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico
$145 5.3%
Italy
$280 7.4% ↑ 92.9%$135
🚌Getting Around
Mexico
$98 3.6%
Italy
$134 3.6% ↑ 36.6%$36
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Mexico
$108 3.9%
Italy
$170 4.5% ↑ 57.2%$62
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $624 in Mexico, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,113 in Mexico City vs $1,297 in Rome.
💰National salary averages: $722 in Mexico, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 17% higher in Italy.
⭐Dining out costs 70% more in Italy.
⭐Public transport is 39% more expensive in Italy.
⭐Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.
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 vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Mexico?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,274 in Mexico, Mexico comes out about 31% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mexico: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $624 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Mexico?
It depends on what you’re after: Mexico wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.