Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nogales and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,207 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
Learn more

Nogales Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Nogales versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Nogales $1,207
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,877 in Nogales versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Nogales $1,877
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,547 in Nogales versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Nogales $2,547
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Nogales costs roughly 28% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nogales is 11% below, Mexico City is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.57 MX$196

$10.59 MX$197

-0.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.20 MX$802

$52.0 MX$964

-16.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 MX$159

$10.73 MX$199

-20.13%

Cappuccino

$3.44 MX$63.9

$3.80 MX$70.5

-9.47%

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

$1.35 MX$24.97

$1.61 MX$29.93

-16.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.43

$1.21 MX$22.49

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 MX$45.73

$3.18 MX$59.0

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 MX$73.6

$5.44 MX$101

-27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.71

$1.72 MX$31.88

-6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 MX$47.17

$2.97 MX$55.1

-14.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.46

$1.93 MX$35.74

-15.03%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$46.11

$2.77 MX$51.5

-10.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 MX$151

$11.67 MX$217

-30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.37 MX$155

$9.48 MX$176

-11.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 MX$212

$15.37 MX$285

-25.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.68

$3.10 MX$57.6

-13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.86

$1.96 MX$36.39

-23.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.59

$1.98 MX$36.78

-3.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.01

$2.34 MX$43.34

-21.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.01

$2.02 MX$37.56

-3.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.80

$1.82 MX$33.86

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 MX$25.56

$1.54 MX$28.66

-10.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MX$19.66

$1.31 MX$24.35

-19.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$79.4

$5.35 MX$99.3

-20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 MX$188

$16.19 MX$300

-37.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.72

$1.96 MX$36.36

-12.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 MX$58.3

$4.35 MX$80.8

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.63

$0.30 MX$5.66

110.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.70 MX$551

$19.49 MX$362

52.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 MX$48.60

$1.92 MX$35.58

36.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 MX$36.93

$0.47 MX$8.77

323.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.94 MX$203

$5.41 MX$100

102.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.40

$1.48 MX$27.53

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

$23.6K MX$437.2K

$21.4K MX$396.6K

10.24%

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

$23.5K MX$436.2K

$23.8K MX$440.9K

-1.06%

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

$56.7 MX$1,053

$62.0 MX$1,151

-8.47%

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

$22.57 MX$419

$28.47 MX$528

-20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.55 MX$548

$34.11 MX$633

-13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.41 MX$601

$58.4 MX$1,084

-44.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.71 MX$366

$24.50 MX$455

-19.55%

Cinema Ticket

$5.25 MX$97.5

$6.59 MX$122

-20.33%

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

$218 MX$4,052

$434 MX$8,059

-49.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,499 MX$83.5K

$14.0K MX$260.5K

-67.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 MX$998

$68.4 MX$1,269

-21.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.92 MX$741

$54.8 MX$1,017

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 MX$1,811

$111 MX$2,057

-11.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 MX$1,620

$116 MX$2,153

-24.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 MX$10.9K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-50.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 MX$8,226

$771 MX$14.3K

-42.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 MX$19.1K

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-59.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 MX$14.1K

$1,420 MX$26.3K

-46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 MX$35.4K

$3,586 MX$66.5K

-46.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MX$21.1K

$2,064 MX$38.3K

-44.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.35

-0.35%

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

Last update for Nogales: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nogales

$443 36.7%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 73.9% $328

Groceries & Markets

Nogales

$260 21.6%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 24.3% $63

Eating Out

Nogales

$181 15%

Mexico City

$201 12% 10.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nogales

$125 10.4%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 25.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nogales

$109 9%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 14.4% $16

Getting Around

Nogales

$45 3.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 44.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nogales

$43 3.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 66.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $587 in Nogales and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Nogales vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $324 per month, with Nogales cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

1 h ahead of Nogales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,137

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nogales Mexico City 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nogales
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,207 in Nogales and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Nogales is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,810 in Nogales and $2,510 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $587 in Nogales versus $1,179 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 34% less than in Nogales. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $218 in Nogales versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Nogales 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.