Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phoenix, AZ and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Phoenix, AZ
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Phoenix, AZ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Phoenix, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,815

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Phoenix, AZ $2,815
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,082 in Phoenix, AZ versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Phoenix, AZ $4,082
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,348 in Phoenix, AZ versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Phoenix, AZ $5,348
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Phoenix, AZ is roughly 75% 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: Phoenix, AZ 107% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 $19.80

$10.62 MX$199

86.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 $86.5

$48.35 MX$908

78.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.23 $14.23

$10.35 MX$194

37.49%

Cappuccino

$6.07 $6.07

$3.69 MX$69.3

64.50%

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

$3.20 $3.20

$1.67 MX$31.29

91.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.27 MX$23.76

92.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.19 MX$59.9

85.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$5.31 MX$99.6

47.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.72 MX$32.38

-54.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.04 MX$57.1

29.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$1.94 MX$36.44

218.56%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$2.89 MX$54.2

51.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 $14.01

$10.97 MX$206

27.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 $12.89

$9.25 MX$174

39.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.68 $14.68

$15.13 MX$284

-2.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.05 MX$57.2

79.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.94 MX$36.45

-2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.03 MX$38.02

110.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.31 MX$43.46

158.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.04 MX$38.21

80.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.80 MX$33.79

74.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.48 MX$27.77

52.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.27 MX$23.80

109.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.17 $11.17

$5.30 MX$99.6

110.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 $14.12

$16.10 MX$302

-12.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.98 MX$37.23

21.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$4.25 MX$79.8

-30.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.31 MX$5.73

535.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.7 $62.7

$19.73 MX$371

217.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.84 MX$34.50

53.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.53 MX$10.02

167.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.63 $36.63

$5.30 MX$99.4

591.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.51 MX$28.36

-21.19%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

68.60%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

11.31%

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

$233 $233

$63.0 MX$1,182

270.44%

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

$77.7 $77.7

$27.39 MX$514

183.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.3 $75.3

$35.67 MX$670

110.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 $56.5

$58.9 MX$1,107

-4.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 $19.46

$23.64 MX$444

-17.68%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$6.40 MX$120

114.22%

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

$1,644 $1,644

$432 MX$8,103

280.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

102.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$68.2 MX$1,281

-11.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.42 $46.42

$53.1 MX$997

-12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$108 MX$2,023

-4.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$117 MX$2,202

8.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 $1,755

$1,113 MX$20.9K

57.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 $1,341

$710 MX$13.3K

88.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,082 $3,082

$2,588 MX$48.6K

19.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,097 $2,097

$1,406 MX$26.4K

49.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,507 $4,507

$3,631 MX$68.2K

24.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 $2,990

$2,135 MX$40.1K

40.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,196 $4,196

$946 MX$17.8K

343.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.35

-41.59%

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

Last update for Phoenix, AZ: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phoenix, AZ

$1.3K 47.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 47% $630

Groceries & Markets

Phoenix, AZ

$430 15.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 25.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phoenix, AZ

$386 13.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 67.4% $260

Eating Out

Phoenix, AZ

$342 12.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 41.9% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Phoenix, AZ

$152 5.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.6% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Phoenix, AZ

$84 3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.6% $12

Getting Around

Phoenix, AZ

$81 2.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 68.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,755 in Phoenix, AZ and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phoenix, AZ pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $87 in Phoenix, AZ vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Phoenix, AZ

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:33 7:33 AM

08:33 8:33 AM

1 h ahead of Phoenix, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,608,139

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

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

MXN to USD in detail →

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Phoenix, AZ Mexico City 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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Phoenix, AZ
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

Phoenix, AZ vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,815 in Phoenix, AZ and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phoenix, AZ is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $1,755 in Phoenix, AZ versus $1,113 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 69% less than in Phoenix, AZ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,644 in Phoenix, AZ versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 43% less than in Phoenix, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.