Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okayama and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Okayama: $979 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Okayama
Learn more

Okayama Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Okayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$979

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Okayama versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Okayama $979
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Okayama versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Okayama $1,575
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,171 in Okayama versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Okayama $2,171
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Okayama costs roughly 39% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okayama is 28% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 ¥943

$10.62 MX$199

-43.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.17 ¥3,976

$48.35 MX$906

-47.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 ¥796

$10.35 MX$194

-51.30%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ¥275

$3.69 MX$69.2

-52.85%

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

$0.69 ¥109

$1.67 MX$31.23

-58.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$1.27 MX$23.71

-45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 ¥306

$3.19 MX$59.8

-39.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥305

$5.31 MX$99.5

-63.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 ¥216

$1.72 MX$32.32

-20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ¥97.6

$3.04 MX$57.0

-79.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.09 ¥646

$1.94 MX$36.38

110.82%

Eggs

$1.55 ¥245

$2.89 MX$54.1

-46.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.16 ¥2,394

$10.97 MX$206

38.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 ¥1,015

$9.25 MX$173

-30.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 ¥2,690

$15.13 MX$283

12.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ¥798

$3.05 MX$57.1

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 ¥489

$1.94 MX$36.38

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.02 ¥792

$2.03 MX$37.95

147.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 ¥691

$2.31 MX$43.38

89.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 ¥342

$2.04 MX$38.14

6.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 ¥304

$1.80 MX$33.73

7.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥186

$1.48 MX$27.72

-20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥106

$1.27 MX$23.75

-47.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥596

$5.30 MX$99.4

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.29 ¥1,467

$16.10 MX$302

-42.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥298

$1.98 MX$37.16

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥294

$4.25 MX$79.7

-56.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ¥224

$0.31 MX$5.72

358.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 ¥9,050

$19.73 MX$370

190.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 ¥505

$1.84 MX$34.44

73.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 ¥410

$0.53 MX$10.00

390.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.53 ¥3,400

$5.30 MX$99.2

306.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ¥158

$1.51 MX$28.31

-33.77%

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

$21.9K ¥3.5M

$21.8K MX$407.7K

0.74%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$24.0K MX$449.5K

-35.82%

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

$71.5 ¥11.3K

$63.0 MX$1,180

13.58%

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

$13.73 ¥2,168

$27.39 MX$513

-49.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.75 ¥4,066

$35.67 MX$668

-27.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥8,247

$58.9 MX$1,105

-11.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 ¥1,783

$6.40 MX$120

76.41%

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

$708 ¥111.8K

$432 MX$8,088

63.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$11.4K MX$214.1K

26.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 ¥7,930

$68.2 MX$1,278

-26.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.57 ¥5,618

$53.1 MX$996

-33.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.0 ¥9,636

$108 MX$2,020

-43.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 ¥15.3K

$117 MX$2,198

-17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.4K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-70.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ¥30.0K

$710 MX$13.3K

-73.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 ¥101.2K

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-75.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 ¥67.9K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-69.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,651 ¥576.6K

$3,631 MX$68.0K

0.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,539 ¥401.0K

$2,135 MX$40.0K

18.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,366 ¥215.7K

$946 MX$17.7K

44.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

11.35

-82.20%

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

Last update for Okayama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Okayama

$312 31.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 2.5% $7.8

Accommodation & Living

Okayama

$190 19.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 274% $521

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okayama

$111 11.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 13.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Okayama

$110 11.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 42.1% $46

Eating Out

Okayama

$103 10.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 93.1% $96

Getting Around

Okayama

$79 8.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 67.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Okayama

$75 7.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 4.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $332 in Okayama and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okayama pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Okayama vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $320 per month, with Okayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okayama

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

15 h behind Okayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

719,474

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.67 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 20.91 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Okayama Mexico City 11,800 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Okayama
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $979 in Okayama and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Okayama is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Okayama, 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: $332 in Okayama versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $708 in Okayama 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 Okayama – a meal for two runs $25 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Okayama versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Okayama but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Okayama 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.