Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Bedford, MA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in New Bedford, MA
Learn more

New Bedford, MA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

New Bedford, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,753

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,753 in New Bedford, MA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

New Bedford, MA $2,753
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,820 in New Bedford, MA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

New Bedford, MA $3,820
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,887 in New Bedford, MA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

New Bedford, MA $4,887
Mexico City $3,323

Living in New Bedford, MA is roughly 78% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New Bedford, MA 103% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 $19.68

$11.02 MX$204

78.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$48.68 MX$900

21.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 $5.95

$10.90 MX$201

-45.41%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$3.68 MX$68.1

11.68%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$1.63 MX$30.18

41.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.25 MX$23.07

-1.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.25 MX$60.1

85.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$5.53 MX$102

-26.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.70 MX$31.50

-40.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.02 MX$55.8

51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$16.26 $16.26

$1.92 MX$35.53

746.88%

Eggs

$6.42 $6.42

$2.73 MX$50.5

135.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 $10.57

$11.77 MX$218

-10.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.74 $10.74

$9.53 MX$176

12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 $19.16

$14.41 MX$266

32.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.02 MX$55.8

78.15%

Banana (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.89 MX$35.01

136.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.99 MX$36.70

69.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.19 MX$40.38

37.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.92 MX$35.43

15.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.87 MX$34.49

28.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.44 MX$26.62

90.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.27 MX$23.39

126.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.07 $13.07

$5.22 MX$96.4

150.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.85 $16.85

$16.17 MX$299

4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.90 MX$35.03

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$4.22 MX$78.0

-32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.00 MX$36.90

206.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.52 MX$9.67

323.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.52 MX$28.13

-28.29%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

27.63%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

8.45%

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

$181 $181

$61.1 MX$1,129

196.74%

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

$36.85 $36.85

$28.58 MX$528

28.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 $58.6

$34.47 MX$637

70.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.95 $28.95

$56.4 MX$1,042

-48.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$6.66 MX$123

86.64%

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

$2,133 $2,133

$427 MX$7,891

399.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.67 $38.67

$67.8 MX$1,253

-42.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.01 $16.01

$52.0 MX$960

-69.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$106 MX$1,959

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 $1,869

$1,025 MX$18.9K

82.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$654 MX$12.1K

141.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,615 $2,615

$2,308 MX$42.7K

13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,341 $2,341

$1,242 MX$22.9K

88.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,641 $4,641

$964 MX$17.8K

381.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.42

11.3

-52.04%

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

Last update for New Bedford, MA: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Bedford, MA

$1.6K 57.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 58.6% $927

Groceries & Markets

New Bedford, MA

$478 17.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 33.4% $160

Eating Out

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 26.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Bedford, MA

$277 10.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 55.1% $153

Clothing & Footwear

New Bedford, MA

$69 * 2.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 120% $83

Sport & Entertainment

New Bedford, MA

$54 2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 29.5% $16

Getting Around

New Bedford, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 49.8% $8.5

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 $1,869 in New Bedford, MA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Bedford, MA pays 381% 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: $59.0 in New Bedford, MA vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $478 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New Bedford, MA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

00:02 12:02 AM

2 h behind New Bedford, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,538

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

New Bedford, MA Mexico City 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New Bedford, MA
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

New Bedford, MA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Bedford, MA and Mexico City differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($2,753 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 381% higher in New Bedford, MA, 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: $1,869 in New Bedford, MA versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,133 in New Bedford, MA versus $427 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 $49.00 versus $59.0 in New Bedford, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,753 in New Bedford, MA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in New Bedford, MA. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in New Bedford, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.