Cost of Living Comparison Between Qalyub and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Qalyub and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Qalyub versus $1,467 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $720 in Qalyub versus $2,371 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $991 in Qalyub versus $3,274 in Mexico City.

Living in Qalyub costs roughly 69% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Qalyub is 67% below, Mexico City is 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.61 E£188

$13.18 MX$228

-72.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.06 E£833

$53.9 MX$934

-70.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 E£243

$9.42 MX$163

-50.21%

Cappuccino

$1.50 E£78.1

$3.55 MX$61.5

-57.75%

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

$0.31 E£16.31

$1.62 MX$28.03

-80.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.36

$1.11 MX$19.31

-89.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 E£65.8

$3.12 MX$54.1

-59.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£140

$4.63 MX$80.2

-41.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 E£43.64

$1.70 MX$29.48

-50.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 E£30.67

$2.72 MX$47.10

-78.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 E£34.60

$1.91 MX$33.13

-64.92%

Eggs

$1.44 E£74.5

$2.54 MX$43.94

-43.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.38 E£175

$10.03 MX$174

-66.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 E£221

$8.09 MX$140

-47.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 E£437

$11.62 MX$201

-27.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 E£75.9

$2.97 MX$51.4

-50.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.61

$1.81 MX$31.30

-68.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.43 E£22.12

$2.01 MX$34.88

-78.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.36 E£18.93

$2.03 MX$35.26

-82.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.13

$2.12 MX$36.82

-80.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 E£20.74

$2.27 MX$39.32

-82.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.24 E£12.53

$1.40 MX$24.26

-82.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£9.82

$1.13 MX$19.59

-83.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 E£101

$4.27 MX$74.0

-54.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 E£292

$15.56 MX$270

-63.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 E£63.4

$1.76 MX$30.44

-30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 E£91.6

$3.60 MX$62.3

-51.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 E£9.39

$0.38 MX$6.64

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.18 MX$332

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£19.99

$1.38 MX$23.84

-71.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 E£15.01

$0.28 MX$4.79

3.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 E£49.62

$5.45 MX$94.4

-82.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.30 E£15.79

$1.30 MX$22.60

-76.92%

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

$35.0K E£1.8M

$18.7K MX$323.8K

87.41%

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

$30.2K E£1.6M

$23.1K MX$400.8K

30.40%

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

$11.14 E£578

$40.86 MX$708

-72.74%

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

$5.59 E£290

$26.81 MX$465

-79.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.91 E£515

$29.96 MX$519

-66.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.38 E£1,161

$52.0 MX$901

-56.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.84 MX$465

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 E£156

$6.30 MX$109

-52.22%

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

$88.0 E£4,564

$436 MX$7,558

-79.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,830 E£95.0K

$10.4K MX$180.5K

-82.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.74 E£1,439

$56.7 MX$982

-51.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 E£2,286

$44.38 MX$769

-0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 E£5,566

$103 MX$1,784

4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.1 E£2,602

$106 MX$1,829

-52.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 E£10.0K

$1,022 MX$17.7K

-81.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.6 E£5,168

$631 MX$10.9K

-84.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 E£16.0K

$2,136 MX$37.0K

-85.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 E£9,264

$1,243 MX$21.5K

-85.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$776 E£40.3K

$3,903 MX$67.6K

-80.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$408 E£21.2K

$2,064 MX$35.8K

-80.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 MX$19.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.67

11.34

47.00%

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

Last update for Qalyub: May 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $193 in Qalyub and $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Qalyub vs $54.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $120 vs $288 per month, with Qalyub cheaper across the board.

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

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

Qalyub and Mexico City differ by about 227% in total monthly costs ($449 vs $1,467 including rent). Qalyub is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $673 in Qalyub and $2,201 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: $193 in Qalyub versus $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $88.0 in Qalyub versus $436 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 Qalyub – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $449 in Qalyub versus $1,467 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qalyub but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Qalyub 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.

Expats usually find Qalyub gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.