Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montclair, NJ and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,899 in Montclair, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Montclair, NJ
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Montclair, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Montclair, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,899

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,899 in Montclair, NJ versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Montclair, NJ $2,899
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,264 in Montclair, NJ versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Montclair, NJ $4,264
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,629 in Montclair, NJ versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Montclair, NJ $5,629
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Montclair, NJ is roughly 80% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montclair, NJ 113% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.04 $20.04

$10.62 MX$198

88.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$48.35 MX$901

66.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 $13.14

$10.35 MX$193

26.96%

Cappuccino

$6.35 $6.35

$3.69 MX$68.8

72.09%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.67 MX$31.07

46.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.27 MX$23.59

14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.14 $8.14

$3.19 MX$59.5

155.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$5.31 MX$98.9

35.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.72 MX$32.15

-26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.04 MX$56.7

47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.05 $6.05

$1.94 MX$36.19

211.86%

Eggs

$6.13 $6.13

$2.89 MX$53.8

112.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$10.97 MX$205

25.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$9.25 MX$172

10.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.41 $19.41

$15.13 MX$282

28.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.05 MX$56.8

98.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.94 MX$36.19

16.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.03 MX$37.75

107.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.31 MX$43.15

135.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.04 MX$37.94

53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$1.80 MX$33.55

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.48 MX$27.58

95.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.27 MX$23.63

113.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 $14.55

$5.30 MX$98.9

174.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$16.10 MX$300

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.98 MX$36.97

-6.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 $3.57

$4.25 MX$79.3

-16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.84 MX$34.25

66.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.53 MX$9.94

313.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.69 $42.69

$5.30 MX$98.7

705.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 MX$28.16

-25.17%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

26.81%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

6.06%

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

$170 $170

$63.0 MX$1,174

170.56%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$27.39 MX$511

88.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.5 $50.5

$35.67 MX$665

41.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.8 $80.8

$58.9 MX$1,099

37.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$20.23 $20.23

$6.40 MX$119

216.09%

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

$1,998 $1,998

$432 MX$8,045

362.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

41.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 $70.1

$68.2 MX$1,272

2.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$53.1 MX$990

-4.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$108 MX$2,009

-6.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$117 MX$2,186

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,261 $2,261

$1,113 MX$20.8K

103.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 $1,540

$710 MX$13.2K

116.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,631 $3,631

$2,588 MX$48.2K

40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 $2,557

$1,406 MX$26.2K

81.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.35

-40.09%

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

Last update for Montclair, NJ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montclair, NJ

$1.5K 53.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 53.9% $829

Groceries & Markets

Montclair, NJ

$451 15.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 29.1% $131

Eating Out

Montclair, NJ

$347 12%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 42.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montclair, NJ

$273 9.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 53.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Montclair, NJ

$154 5.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Montclair, NJ

$121 4.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 40.8% $49

Getting Around

Montclair, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 82% $11

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 $2,261 in Montclair, NJ and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Montclair, NJ vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $451 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Montclair, NJ

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

2 h behind Montclair, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,669

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montclair, NJ Mexico City 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montclair, NJ
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

Montclair, NJ vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montclair, NJ and Mexico City differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($2,899 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,348 in Montclair, NJ and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,261 in Montclair, NJ versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,998 in Montclair, NJ versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $81 in Montclair, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.