Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in the United States

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 the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,276 in Mexico versus $2,701 in the United States.

Mexico $1,276
United States $2,701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,023 in Mexico versus $3,980 in the United States.

Mexico $2,023
United States $3,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,770 in Mexico versus $5,258 in the United States.

Mexico $2,770
United States $5,258

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $980 to $5,162, compared to $738–$2,646 in Mexico. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in Mexico costs about 53% less than in the United States on average.

Mexico (5% below) and the United States (100% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 MX$202

$19.92 $19.92

-45.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.51 MX$822

$81.0 $81.0

-45.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$12.07 $12.07

-23.70%

Cappuccino

$3.55 MX$65.6

$5.55 $5.55

-36.04%

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

$1.43 MX$26.34

$2.67 $2.67

-46.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$2.09 $2.09

-48.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 MX$50.4

$5.96 $5.96

-54.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$7.76 $7.76

-43.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$1.05 $1.05

53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$3.55 $3.55

-22.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.76

$4.64 $4.64

-62.93%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.55

$4.18 $4.18

-38.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 MX$173

$12.76 $12.76

-26.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$150

$12.63 $12.63

-35.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 MX$215

$17.22 $17.22

-32.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MX$54.3

$5.15 $5.15

-42.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.95

$1.64 $1.64

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.41

$4.46 $4.46

-53.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.21

$4.98 $4.98

-61.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.22

$2.84 $2.84

-27.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.86

$3.09 $3.09

-33.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.69

$2.19 $2.19

-34.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.33

$2.27 $2.27

-51.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$85.7

$10.61 $10.61

-56.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 MX$199

$14.71 $14.71

-26.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.08

$2.10 $2.10

-14.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 MX$61.5

$3.82 $3.82

-12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$2.35 $2.35

-73.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 MX$500

$64.1 $64.1

-57.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$3.57 $3.57

-22.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$1.85 $1.85

49.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.03 MX$204

$30.19 $30.19

-63.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.07 $1.07

37.38%

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

$20.8K MX$384.4K

$35.3K $35.3K

-41.05%

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

$24.2K MX$446.9K

$25.9K $25.9K

-6.63%

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

$69.1 MX$1,278

$217 $217

-68.08%

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

$23.20 MX$429

$61.4 $61.4

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 MX$535

$74.4 $74.4

-61.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 MX$680

$45.08 $45.08

-18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 MX$336

$23.07 $23.07

-21.15%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$14.79 $14.79

-64.23%

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

$264 MX$4,887

$1,480 $1,480

-82.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,272 MX$115.9K

$25.5K $25.5K

-75.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,050

$53.0 $53.0

7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.50 MX$767

$42.75 $42.75

-2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,828

$94.3 $94.3

4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,654

$115 $115

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$714 MX$13.2K

$1,678 $1,678

-57.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MX$8,674

$1,313 $1,313

-64.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 MX$24.5K

$2,649 $2,649

-50.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$2,183 $2,183

-58.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,553 MX$47.2K

$3,374 $3,374

-24.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 MX$27.1K

$2,661 $2,661

-44.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$768 MX$14.2K

$4,404 $4,404

-82.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.44

6.55

74.66%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$469 36.8%

United States

$1.3K 48.6% 180% $844

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$273 21.4%

United States

$411 15.2% 50.6% $138

Eating Out

Mexico

$190 14.9%

United States

$327 12.1% 72% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$129 10.1%

United States

$137 5.1% 6.5% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$121 9.5%

United States

$352 13% 191% $231

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$47 3.7%

United States

$75 2.8% 57.5% $27

Getting Around

Mexico

$46 3.6%

United States

$86 3.2% 86.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $617 in Mexico, $1,609 in the United States. Capital cities: $1,051 in Mexico City vs $2,730 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $735 in Mexico, $4,533 in the United States. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 161% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 74% more in the United States.

Public transport is 125% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are 517% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico United States 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,276 per month in Mexico and $2,701 in the United States, there's a 112% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

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.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,609 in the United States and $617 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mexico, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United States it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Mexico wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.