Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monrovia and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Monrovia: $1,296 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Monrovia
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Monrovia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Monrovia

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,296

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monrovia 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 Monrovia and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,296 in Monrovia versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Monrovia $1,296
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,926 in Monrovia versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Monrovia $1,926
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,556 in Monrovia versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Monrovia $2,556
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Monrovia costs roughly 17% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monrovia is 3% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.33 LRD 1,248

$11.12 MX$204

-34.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.87 LRD 1,850

$11.23 MX$206

-3.21%

Cappuccino

$2.96 LRD 505

$3.76 MX$69.0

-21.28%

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

$2.01 LRD 343

$1.65 MX$30.34

21.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 LRD 348

$1.28 MX$23.48

59.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 LRD 667

$3.26 MX$59.8

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LRD 501

$5.66 MX$104

-48.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 LRD 363

$1.81 MX$33.23

17.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 LRD 308

$2.94 MX$54.0

-38.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.11 LRD 870

$2.05 MX$37.62

149.27%

Eggs

$3.53 LRD 602

$2.93 MX$53.7

20.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 LRD 1,332

$11.95 MX$219

-34.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 LRD 2,048

$9.51 MX$175

26.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 LRD 2,303

$14.84 MX$273

-8.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 LRD 272

$3.14 MX$57.7

-49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$8.28 LRD 1,410

$2.01 MX$36.99

311.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.11 LRD 1,721

$2.08 MX$38.10

386.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$11.03 LRD 1,878

$2.22 MX$40.72

396.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 LRD 384

$2.06 MX$37.82

9.22%

Onion (1kg)

$10.54 LRD 1,795

$1.88 MX$34.46

460.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.77 LRD 812

$1.48 MX$27.18

222.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 LRD 350

$1.35 MX$24.70

52.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 LRD 829

$5.41 MX$99.3

-9.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 LRD 1,219

$16.86 MX$310

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 LRD 413

$1.98 MX$36.43

22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 LRD 586

$4.32 MX$79.4

-20.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 LRD 518

$0.34 MX$6.33

794.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.82 LRD 3,374

$20.23 MX$371

-2.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 LRD 350

$2.10 MX$38.47

-1.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 LRD 324

$0.53 MX$9.74

260.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.14 LRD 4,280

$5.41 MX$99.3

364.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 LRD 208

$1.52 MX$27.91

-19.74%

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

$19.8K LRD 3.4M

$21.7K MX$399.0K

-8.69%

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

$14.7K LRD 2.5M

$24.8K MX$455.6K

-40.71%

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

$149 LRD 25.4K

$63.0 MX$1,156

137.00%

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

$22.06 LRD 3,756

$28.88 MX$530

-23.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$184 LRD 31.2K

$33.93 MX$623

440.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 LRD 10.6K

$55.8 MX$1,024

11.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 LRD 1,710

$24.90 MX$457

-59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 LRD 876

$6.77 MX$124

-24.08%

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

$98.2 LRD 16.7K

$428 MX$7,854

-77.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,018 LRD 173.3K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

-91.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.95 LRD 4,248

$70.0 MX$1,286

-64.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.14 LRD 5,472

$53.7 MX$986

-40.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 LRD 9,366

$110 MX$2,016

-49.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 LRD 15.6K

$115 MX$2,115

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 LRD 43.1K

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-76.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.0 LRD 16.4K

$671 MX$12.3K

-85.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 LRD 110.6K

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-72.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 LRD 45.5K

$1,260 MX$23.1K

-78.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$704 LRD 119.8K

$997 MX$18.3K

-29.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

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

Last update for Monrovia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Monrovia

$456 35.6%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 28.4% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monrovia

$355 27.6%

Mexico City

$126 8% 64.6% $229

Eating Out

Monrovia

$169 13.1%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 22.9% $39

Accommodation & Living

Monrovia

$96 7.5%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 598% $575

Clothing & Footwear

Monrovia

$92 7.1%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 71.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Monrovia

$73 5.7%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 4.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Monrovia

$44 3.4%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 39.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $253 in Monrovia and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 42% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇱🇷 Monrovia

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

6 h behind Monrovia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,970 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Liberian Dollar LRD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LRD – Liberian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇷 Liberian Dollar ($)

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 170 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.87 USD). 1 EUR = 191 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.24 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to LRD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monrovia Mexico City 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Monrovia
Mexico City

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

Monrovia vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monrovia and Mexico City differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,296 vs $1,561 including rent). Monrovia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Mexico City. 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: $253 in Monrovia versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $98.2 in Monrovia versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Monrovia runs roughly 2% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,296 in Monrovia versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monrovia but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Monrovia 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.

Expats usually find Monrovia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.