For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $10.4K in Monaco, rent and utilities included – about $106,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
How much you'll spend in Monaco and in Mexico City
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monaco and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $10.4K in Monaco versus $1,548 in Mexico City.
Monaco $10.4K
Mexico City $1,548
Estimated couple costs with rent: $11.9K in Monaco versus $2,436 in Mexico City.
Monaco $11.9K
Mexico City $2,436
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $13.4K in Monaco versus $3,323 in Mexico City.
Monaco $13.4K
Mexico City $3,323
🌍
Living in Monaco is roughly 573% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.
📊
Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monaco669% above, Mexico City14% above.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.81€17.62
$11.02MX$204
79.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$166€148
$48.68MX$900
241.11%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$12.38€11.01
$10.90MX$201
13.58%
Cappuccino
$3.61€3.21
$3.68MX$68.1
-1.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$6.11€5.43
$1.63MX$30.18
274.85%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57€4.07
$1.25MX$23.07
265.60%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$9.98€8.87
$3.25MX$60.1
207.08%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$8.70€7.74
$5.53MX$102
57.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.82€1.62
$1.70MX$31.50
7.06%
White Bread(500g)
$3.24€2.88
$3.02MX$55.8
7.28%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$4.08€3.63
$1.92MX$35.53
112.50%
Eggs
$4.97€4.42
$2.73MX$50.5
82.05%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.90€12.36
$11.77MX$218
18.10%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$16.91€15.04
$9.53MX$176
77.44%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$18.47€16.43
$14.41MX$266
28.17%
Apples(1kg)
$3.25€2.89
$3.02MX$55.8
7.62%
Banana(1kg)
$2.73€2.43
$1.89MX$35.01
44.44%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.69€2.39
$1.99MX$36.70
35.18%
Tomato(1kg)
$3.57€3.17
$2.19MX$40.38
63.01%
Potato(1kg)
$2.37€2.10
$1.92MX$35.43
23.44%
Onion(1kg)
$2.85€2.54
$1.87MX$34.49
52.41%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.89€1.68
$1.44MX$26.62
31.25%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$7.79€6.93
$1.27MX$23.39
513.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$14.26€12.69
$5.22MX$96.4
173.18%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.61€5.88
$16.17MX$299
-59.12%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56€1.39
$1.90MX$35.03
-17.89%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40€3.92
$4.22MX$78.0
4.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$2.27€2.02
$0.34MX$6.30
567.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$23.50€20.90
$19.65MX$363
19.59%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
-
$2.00MX$36.90
-
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.61€1.43
$0.52MX$9.67
209.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$90.6€80.6
$5.34MX$98.7
1597.19%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.23€1.98
$1.52MX$28.13
46.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.8K€43.4K
$22.1KMX$408.0K
120.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K€34.2K
$24.5KMX$452.9K
56.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$424€377
$61.1MX$1,129
593.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.44€37.75
$28.58MX$528
48.50%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.7€55.7
$34.47MX$637
81.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$229€204
$56.4MX$1,042
306.14%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$52.6€46.74
$24.88MX$460
111.21%
Cinema Ticket
$13.53€12.03
$6.66MX$123
103.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$2,155€1,917
$427MX$7,891
404.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$44.4K€39.5K
$11.6KMX$215.0K
281.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$152€136
$67.8MX$1,253
124.84%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$82.0€72.9
$52.0MX$960
57.81%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$170€151
$106MX$1,959
60.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$722€642
$113MX$2,080
541.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$9,333€8,302
$1,025MX$18.9K
810.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$8,266€7,353
$654MX$12.1K
1163.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$16.5K€14.7K
$2,308MX$42.7K
616.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$8,429€7,498
$1,242MX$22.9K
578.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$72.1K€64.2K
$3,613MX$66.8K
1896.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$55.0K€48.9K
$1,936MX$35.8K
2740.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monaco
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$8,751€7,784
$964MX$17.8K
807.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.25
11.3
-71.24%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Monaco: October 19, 2026
Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 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
Monaco
$8.3K 79.3%
Mexico City
$654 42.3% ↓ 92.1%$7.6K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monaco
$529 5.1%
Mexico City
$124 8% ↓ 76.5%$404
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Monaco
$507 4.9%
Mexico City
$152 9.8% ↓ 70%$355
🛒Groceries & Markets
Monaco
$473 4.5%
Mexico City
$318 20.6% ↓ 32.8%$155
🍽Eating Out
Monaco
$349 3.4%
Mexico City
$204 13.2% ↓ 41.6%$145
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Monaco
$256 2.5%
Mexico City
$70 4.5% ↓ 72.8%$186
🚌Getting Around
Monaco
$41 * 0.4%
Mexico City
$26 1.7% ↓ 37%$15
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Monaco
$8.4K 63.1%
Mexico City
$1.2K 37.4% ↓ 85.3%$7.2K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monaco
$571 4.3%
Mexico City
$153 4.6% ↓ 73.3%$418
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Monaco
$1.1K 8.4%
Mexico City
$338 10.2% ↓ 70%$788
🛒Groceries & Markets
Monaco
$1.1K 8.1%
Mexico City
$724 21.8% ↓ 32.7%$352
🍽Eating Out
Monaco
$1.5K 11.3%
Mexico City
$650 19.6% ↓ 57.1%$864
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Monaco
$564 4.2%
Mexico City
$164 4.9% ↓ 70.9%$400
🚌Getting Around
Monaco
$86 * 0.6%
Mexico City
$52 1.6% ↓ 39.5%$34
Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $9,333 in Monaco and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Monaco pays 808% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.
🛒Dining out: $166 in Monaco vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $473 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.
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
Monaco vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Monaco and in Mexico City?
Monaco and Mexico City differ by about 573% in total monthly costs ($10.4K vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Monaco or Mexico City?
Average pay runs 808% higher in Monaco, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Monaco and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $9,333 in Monaco versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Monaco and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 20% less than in Monaco. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Monaco and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $2,155 in Monaco versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $10.4K in Monaco, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Monaco. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Monaco and Mexico City?
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.
Is Monaco or Mexico City safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Monaco and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Monaco or Mexico City?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 573% less than in Monaco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.