Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,945 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,945

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,945 in Montpellier versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Montpellier $1,945
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Montpellier versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Montpellier $2,919
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,892 in Montpellier versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Montpellier $3,892
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Montpellier is roughly 24% 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: Montpellier 44% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.68

$10.75 MX$199

53.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €63.9

$50.3 MX$929

42.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.16

$11.10 MX$205

43.42%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.23

$3.68 MX$68.1

-1.09%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.65 MX$30.42

81.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.30 MX$24.08

56.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$3.32 MX$61.3

72.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$5.54 MX$102

-19.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.77 MX$32.68

-20.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.05 MX$56.4

-28.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.01 MX$37.20

31.34%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.77 MX$51.1

35.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.65 €16.59

$11.91 MX$220

56.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 €12.30

$9.33 MX$172

48.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.28 €21.60

$15.02 MX$278

61.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$3.08 MX$56.8

-4.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.95 MX$35.97

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.03 MX$37.54

44.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.21 MX$40.92

73.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.02 MX$37.41

15.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$1.82 MX$33.67

62.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.52 MX$28.07

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$1.28 MX$23.65

-50.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.16

$5.27 MX$97.4

159.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 €6.64

$16.12 MX$298

-53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.38

$1.95 MX$36.05

95.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$4.25 MX$78.6

-34.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.31 MX$5.82

541.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.07 €0.96

$19.85 MX$367

-94.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 €4.42

$2.00 MX$36.93

148.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.53 MX$9.86

220.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.84 €29.22

$5.62 MX$104

484.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.52 MX$28.07

39.47%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

62.03%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

40.04%

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

$224 €200

$62.5 MX$1,155

259.05%

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

$16.56 €14.73

$28.77 MX$532

-42.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 €28.98

$34.45 MX$637

-5.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 €29.98

$57.1 MX$1,055

-40.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 €12.61

$24.81 MX$458

-42.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 €12.16

$6.67 MX$123

105.10%

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

$735 €654

$431 MX$7,964

70.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.5K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 €78.8

$70.8 MX$1,308

25.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 €58.3

$51.8 MX$958

26.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$109 MX$2,011

-5.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €158

$112 MX$2,076

58.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €798

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-14.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$665 MX$12.3K

9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 €1,317

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 €1,029

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-5.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,927 €4,382

$3,554 MX$65.7K

38.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,636 €3,234

$1,977 MX$36.5K

83.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,738 €2,435

$975 MX$18.0K

180.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.3

-66.28%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$725 37.3%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 8.3% $60

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$386 19.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 16.4% $63

Eating Out

Montpellier

$281 14.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 27.8% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$274 14.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 54% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$196 10.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 20.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$61 3.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 15.4% $9.4

Getting Around

Montpellier

$23 1.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 14.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Montpellier and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 181% 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: $72.0 in Montpellier vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

09:53 9:53 AM

8 h behind Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Montpellier Mexico City 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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

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

Montpellier and Mexico City differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,945 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 181% higher in Montpellier, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $897 in Montpellier versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 1755% less than in Montpellier. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $735 in Montpellier versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,945 in Montpellier, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Montpellier. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Safety-wise, Montpellier 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Montpellier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.