Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,922 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,922

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,922 in Moscow versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Moscow $1,922
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,941 in Moscow versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Moscow $2,941
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,960 in Moscow versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Moscow $3,960
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Moscow is roughly 20% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Moscow 41% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.50 ₽1,008

$10.62 MX$198

17.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₽4,939

$48.35 MX$901

26.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ₽617

$10.35 MX$193

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$3.84 ₽309

$3.69 MX$68.8

4.07%

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

$1.74 ₽140

$1.67 MX$31.07

4.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽68.8

$1.27 MX$23.59

-33.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 ₽390

$3.19 MX$59.5

51.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 ₽417

$5.31 MX$98.9

-2.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ₽107

$1.72 MX$32.15

-23.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₽84.0

$3.04 MX$56.7

-65.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ₽143

$1.94 MX$36.19

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.02 ₽163

$2.89 MX$53.8

-30.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 ₽1,216

$10.97 MX$205

37.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.86 ₽553

$9.25 MX$172

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.29 ₽1,233

$15.13 MX$282

1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₽173

$3.05 MX$56.8

-29.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₽148

$1.94 MX$36.19

-5.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ₽164

$2.03 MX$37.75

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 ₽334

$2.31 MX$43.15

79.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ₽76.0

$2.04 MX$37.94

-53.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ₽62.0

$1.80 MX$33.55

-57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ₽137

$1.48 MX$27.58

14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₽81.3

$1.27 MX$23.63

-20.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ₽299

$5.30 MX$98.9

-30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.23 ₽986

$16.10 MX$300

-24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₽102

$1.98 MX$36.97

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₽220

$4.25 MX$79.3

-35.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₽77.4

$0.31 MX$5.69

209.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.33 ₽3,494

$19.73 MX$368

119.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ₽296

$1.84 MX$34.25

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₽67.6

$0.53 MX$9.94

58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.33 ₽994

$5.30 MX$98.7

132.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₽77.4

$1.51 MX$28.16

-36.42%

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

$45.4K ₽3.7M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

108.60%

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

$41.2K ₽3.3M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

71.76%

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

$199 ₽16.0K

$63.0 MX$1,174

215.70%

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

$9.04 ₽729

$27.39 MX$511

-67.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.05 ₽810

$35.67 MX$665

-71.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.51 ₽3,589

$58.9 MX$1,099

-24.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.40 ₽3,823

$23.64 MX$441

100.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 ₽777

$6.40 MX$119

50.47%

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

$898 ₽72.4K

$432 MX$8,045

108.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K ₽2.4M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

156.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 ₽9,411

$68.2 MX$1,272

71.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.4 ₽5,595

$53.1 MX$990

30.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 ₽12.3K

$108 MX$2,009

42.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 ₽15.1K

$117 MX$2,186

60.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ₽123.6K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

37.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 ₽69.4K

$710 MX$13.2K

21.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,127 ₽252.2K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

20.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 ₽125.1K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

10.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K ₽845.5K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

188.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,981 ₽401.7K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

133.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ₽145.0K

$946 MX$17.6K

90.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.58

11.35

72.51%

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

Last update for Moscow: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$860 44.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 17.4% $150

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$274 14.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 16.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$237 12.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 34.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$218 11.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 42.2% $92

Eating Out

Moscow

$214 11.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 7.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$64 3.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 12.5% $8

Getting Around

Moscow

$55 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 53.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,533 in Moscow and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moscow pays 90% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Moscow vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $320, with Moscow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

18:06 6:06 PM

9 h behind Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moscow Mexico City 10,720 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,922 in Moscow and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 90% higher in Moscow, 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: $1,533 in Moscow versus $1,113 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 54% less than in Moscow. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $898 in Moscow versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Moscow on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.