Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Queens, NY and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $3,339 in Queens, NY, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Queens, NY
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Queens, NY Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Queens, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$3,339

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,339 in Queens, NY versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Queens, NY $3,339
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,831 in Queens, NY versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Queens, NY $4,831
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,323 in Queens, NY versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Queens, NY $6,323
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Queens, NY is roughly 116% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Queens, NY 146% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.16 $19.16

$11.02 MX$204

73.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.1 $80.1

$48.68 MX$900

64.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.04 $13.04

$10.90 MX$201

19.63%

Cappuccino

$6.18 $6.18

$3.68 MX$68.1

67.93%

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

$2.53 $2.53

$1.63 MX$30.18

55.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.25 MX$23.07

19.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.25 $9.25

$3.25 MX$60.1

184.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 $6.93

$5.53 MX$102

25.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.70 MX$31.50

-25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.02 MX$55.8

44.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$1.92 MX$35.53

213.54%

Eggs

$6.88 $6.88

$2.73 MX$50.5

152.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 $13.73

$11.77 MX$218

16.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 $10.31

$9.53 MX$176

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.51 $19.51

$14.41 MX$266

35.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.02 MX$55.8

98.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.89 MX$35.01

84.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.99 MX$36.70

121.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 $5.21

$2.19 MX$40.38

137.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.92 MX$35.43

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.87 MX$34.49

63.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.44 MX$26.62

115.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.27 MX$23.39

143.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.63 $14.63

$5.22 MX$96.4

180.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$16.17 MX$299

-8.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.90 MX$35.03

-2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$4.22 MX$78.0

-16.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 $2.94

$0.34 MX$6.30

764.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 $131

$19.65 MX$363

564.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.00 MX$36.90

48.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 MX$9.67

326.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.49 $41.49

$5.34 MX$98.7

676.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.52 MX$28.13

-28.29%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

26.16%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

4.19%

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

$175 $175

$61.1 MX$1,129

186.25%

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

$49.84 $49.84

$28.58 MX$528

74.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$34.47 MX$637

46.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.68 $45.68

$56.4 MX$1,042

-18.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$67.6 $67.6

$24.88 MX$460

171.78%

Cinema Ticket

$20.43 $20.43

$6.66 MX$123

206.76%

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

$1,979 $1,979

$427 MX$7,891

363.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K $16.2K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

39.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.52 $49.52

$67.8 MX$1,253

-26.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.0 $81.0

$52.0 MX$960

55.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$106 MX$1,959

-19.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$113 MX$2,080

-7.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,272 $2,272

$1,025 MX$18.9K

121.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 $1,870

$654 MX$12.1K

185.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$2,308 MX$42.7K

153.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 $2,964

$1,242 MX$22.9K

138.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,775 $8,775

$3,613 MX$66.8K

142.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,134 $6,134

$1,936 MX$35.8K

216.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,625 $3,625

$964 MX$17.8K

275.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.3

-39.82%

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

Last update for Queens, NY: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Queens, NY

$1.9K 56%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 65% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Queens, NY

$464 13.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 31.5% $146

Eating Out

Queens, NY

$343 10.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 40.5% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Queens, NY

$275 8.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 54.9% $151

Getting Around

Queens, NY

$156 4.7%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 83.6% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Queens, NY

$144 4.3%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 5.7% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Queens, NY

$87 2.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 19.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,272 in Queens, NY and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queens, NY pays 276% 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: $80.0 in Queens, NY vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $464 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Queens, NY

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

2 h behind Queens, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,405,464

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Queens, NY Mexico City 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Queens, NY
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

Queens, NY vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Queens, NY and Mexico City differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($3,339 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Queens, NY, 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: $2,272 in Queens, NY versus $1,025 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 564% less than in Queens, NY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,979 in Queens, NY versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $3,339 in Queens, NY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Queens, NY. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 116% less than in Queens, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.