Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niigata and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Niigata: $728 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Niigata
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Niigata Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Niigata

🇯🇵 Japan

$728

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $728 in Niigata versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Niigata $728
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,106 in Niigata versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Niigata $1,106
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,485 in Niigata versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Niigata $1,485
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Niigata costs roughly 55% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Niigata is 47% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 ¥1,013

$10.62 MX$199

-39.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.74 ¥2,795

$48.35 MX$908

-63.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.02 ¥791

$10.35 MX$194

-51.50%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥422

$3.69 MX$69.3

-27.37%

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

$1.10 ¥174

$1.67 MX$31.29

-34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥123

$1.27 MX$23.76

-38.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ¥398

$3.19 MX$59.9

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ¥437

$5.31 MX$99.6

-47.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.72 MX$32.38

-29.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ¥152

$3.04 MX$57.1

-68.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ¥392

$1.94 MX$36.44

28.35%

Eggs

$2.26 ¥356

$2.89 MX$54.2

-21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥1,167

$10.97 MX$206

-32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 ¥1,062

$9.25 MX$174

-27.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.47 ¥2,595

$15.13 MX$284

8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 ¥506

$3.05 MX$57.2

5.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥206

$1.94 MX$36.45

-32.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 ¥402

$2.03 MX$38.02

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 ¥352

$2.31 MX$43.46

-3.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥306

$2.04 MX$38.21

-4.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.80 MX$33.79

7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ¥146

$1.48 MX$27.77

-37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥94.4

$1.27 MX$23.80

-52.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥606

$5.30 MX$99.6

-27.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 ¥679

$16.10 MX$302

-73.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥264

$1.98 MX$37.23

-15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥293

$4.25 MX$79.8

-56.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 ¥207

$0.31 MX$5.73

322.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 ¥415

$1.84 MX$34.50

42.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 ¥509

$0.53 MX$10.02

509.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.80 ¥2,962

$5.30 MX$99.4

254.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥165

$1.51 MX$28.36

-30.46%

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

$19.3K ¥3.0M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

-11.17%

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

$12.8K ¥2.0M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-46.44%

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

$147 ¥23.1K

$63.0 MX$1,182

132.61%

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

$23.08 ¥3,635

$27.39 MX$514

-15.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.23 ¥3,975

$35.67 MX$670

-29.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 ¥8,094

$58.9 MX$1,107

-12.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 ¥988

$23.64 MX$444

-73.48%

Cinema Ticket

$12.30 ¥1,937

$6.40 MX$120

92.19%

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

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$432 MX$8,103

-85.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥2.9M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

60.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.68 ¥4,991

$68.2 MX$1,281

-53.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 ¥5,214

$53.1 MX$997

-37.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.84 ¥6,118

$108 MX$2,023

-63.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.7 ¥10.2K

$117 MX$2,202

-44.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ¥55.2K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-68.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,272 ¥200.4K

$946 MX$17.8K

34.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.48

11.35

-86.96%

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

Last update for Niigata: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Niigata

$233 32%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 37.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niigata

$195 26.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 35.3% $69

Eating Out

Niigata

$124 17.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 59.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 5.6% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Niigata

$76 10.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 106% $80

Getting Around

Niigata

$24 * 3.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 5.9% $1.4

Accommodation & Living

Niigata

- * 0%

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

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 $351 in Niigata and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Niigata pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18 in Niigata vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $320 per month, with Niigata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Niigata

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

19:05 7:05 PM

15 h behind Niigata

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

811,639

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.35 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Niigata Mexico City 11,210 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Niigata
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $728 in Niigata and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Niigata is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Niigata, 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: $351 in Niigata versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $65 in Niigata 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 Niigata – a meal for two runs $18 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $728 in Niigata versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Niigata but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Niigata 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.