Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,499 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
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Nijmegen Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Nijmegen versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Nijmegen $2,499
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,718 in Nijmegen versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Nijmegen $3,718
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,937 in Nijmegen versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Nijmegen $4,937
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 60% 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: Nijmegen 87% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 €22.61

$11.12 MX$204

127.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.7 €83.6

$48.99 MX$900

91.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.97

$11.23 MX$206

19.41%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.72

$3.76 MX$69.0

10.90%

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

$3.95 €3.53

$1.65 MX$30.34

139.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.28 MX$23.48

105.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.07

$3.26 MX$59.8

74.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$5.66 MX$104

0.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.81 MX$33.23

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.94 MX$54.0

-32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.05 MX$37.62

14.63%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$2.93 MX$53.7

83.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.59

$11.95 MX$219

8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.59 €13.02

$9.51 MX$175

53.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 €13.84

$14.84 MX$273

4.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.14 MX$57.7

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.01 MX$36.99

21.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.08 MX$38.10

-5.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 €4.84

$2.22 MX$40.72

144.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.06 MX$37.82

-1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.88 MX$34.46

25.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.48 MX$27.18

-13.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.35 MX$24.70

-43.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.76

$5.41 MX$99.3

164.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 €6.48

$16.86 MX$310

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.98 MX$36.43

-24.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$4.32 MX$79.4

-41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 €3.10

$0.34 MX$6.33

920.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 €127

$20.23 MX$371

603.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 €3.68

$2.10 MX$38.47

96.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 €2.76

$0.53 MX$9.74

484.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$5.41 MX$99.3

714.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.52 MX$27.91

54.61%

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

$40.7K €36.4K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

87.44%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$24.8K MX$455.6K

55.12%

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

$282 €252

$63.0 MX$1,156

348.20%

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

$23.08 €20.60

$28.88 MX$530

-20.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.32 €36.87

$33.93 MX$623

21.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 €27.09

$55.8 MX$1,024

-45.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.10 €22.40

$24.90 MX$457

0.80%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.85

$6.77 MX$124

129.25%

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

$2,788 €2,488

$428 MX$7,854

551.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$11.9K MX$218.0K

44.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 €87.9

$70.0 MX$1,286

40.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.80 €39.09

$53.7 MX$986

-18.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$110 MX$2,016

-3.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 €153

$115 MX$2,115

48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,338

$1,062 MX$19.5K

41.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €923

$671 MX$12.3K

54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 €2,113

$2,379 MX$43.7K

-0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,483

$1,260 MX$23.1K

31.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,492 €4,901

$3,716 MX$68.2K

47.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,242 €3,785

$1,976 MX$36.3K

114.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,457 €3,085

$997 MX$18.3K

246.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-64.60%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nijmegen

$1K 41.3%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 35.1% $363

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$359 14.3%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 42.3% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$347 13.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 63.7% $221

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$339 13.5%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 3.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$189 7.5%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 16.8% $32

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$176 7%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 85% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$61 2.5%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 12.9% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,499 in Nijmegen and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 247% 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: $94.0 in Nijmegen vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

8 h behind Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Nijmegen Mexico City 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

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

Nijmegen and Mexico City differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($2,499 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 247% higher in Nijmegen, 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: $1,499 in Nijmegen versus $1,062 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 604% less than in Nijmegen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,788 in Nijmegen versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $2,499 in Nijmegen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Nijmegen. 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, Nijmegen 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 60% less than in Nijmegen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.