Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quito and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quito: $978 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Quito
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Quito Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Quito

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$978

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $978 in Quito versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Quito $978
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,586 in Quito versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Quito $1,586
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,194 in Quito versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Quito $2,194
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Quito costs roughly 38% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Quito is 28% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.08 $6.08

$10.75 MX$199

-43.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 $55.5

$50.3 MX$929

10.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 $7.61

$11.10 MX$205

-31.44%

Cappuccino

$3.40 $3.40

$3.68 MX$68.1

-7.61%

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

$1.37 $1.37

$1.65 MX$30.42

-16.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.30 MX$24.08

-16.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.32 MX$61.3

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.54 MX$102

9.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.77 MX$32.68

-35.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 $1.60

$3.05 MX$56.4

-47.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.01 MX$37.20

-21.39%

Eggs

$2.12 $2.12

$2.77 MX$51.1

-23.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$11.91 MX$220

-44.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$9.33 MX$172

-40.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$15.02 MX$278

-49.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.08 MX$56.8

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.95 MX$35.97

-38.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.03 MX$37.54

-34.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.21 MX$40.92

-48.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.02 MX$37.41

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.82 MX$33.67

-43.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.52 MX$28.07

-39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.28 MX$23.65

-17.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 $6.16

$5.27 MX$97.4

16.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 $10.07

$16.12 MX$298

-37.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.95 MX$36.05

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.25 MX$78.6

-27.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 $0.36

$0.31 MX$5.82

16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 $21.37

$19.85 MX$367

7.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.00 MX$36.93

-23.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.53 MX$9.86

181.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 $9.84

$5.62 MX$104

75.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.52 MX$28.07

-46.71%

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

$21.3K $21.3K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

1.05%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

10.80%

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

$28.75 $28.75

$62.5 MX$1,155

-53.99%

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

$17.86 $17.86

$28.77 MX$532

-37.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 $28.20

$34.45 MX$637

-18.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 $46.08

$57.1 MX$1,055

-19.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.76 $17.76

$24.81 MX$458

-28.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 $6.34

$6.67 MX$123

-4.95%

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

$739 $739

$431 MX$7,964

71.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,909 $8,909

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-24.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 $71.0

$70.8 MX$1,308

0.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 $50.4

$51.8 MX$958

-2.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$109 MX$2,011

4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$112 MX$2,076

-4.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 $491

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-53.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$665 MX$12.3K

-53.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 $932

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-60.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 $540

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-55.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,759 $1,759

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-50.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 $715

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-63.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$594 $594

$975 MX$18.0K

-39.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.3

-10.44%

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

Last update for Quito: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quito

$309 31.6%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 115% $356

Groceries & Markets

Quito

$198 20.3%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 63% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Quito

$154 15.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 0.3% $0.4

Eating Out

Quito

$151 15.5%

Mexico City

$203 13% 34% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quito

$75 7.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 68% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Quito

$59 6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 19.9% $12

Getting Around

Quito

$32 3.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 18.9% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $491 in Quito and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 64% 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: $55.0 in Quito vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $323, with Quito cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Quito

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h behind Quito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,671,191 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Quito Mexico City 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Quito
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

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

Quito and Mexico City differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($978 vs $1,567 including rent). Quito is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $491 in Quito versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Quito runs roughly 8% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $739 in Quito versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $978 in Quito versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quito but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Quito 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 Quito gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.