Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,643 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,643

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,643 in Raleigh, NC versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Raleigh, NC $2,643
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,817 in Raleigh, NC versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Raleigh, NC $3,817
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,991 in Raleigh, NC versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Raleigh, NC $4,991
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Raleigh, NC is roughly 64% 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: Raleigh, NC 94% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.90 $21.90

$10.62 MX$199

106.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.4 $88.4

$48.35 MX$908

82.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 $11.44

$10.35 MX$194

10.53%

Cappuccino

$5.60 $5.60

$3.69 MX$69.3

51.76%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.67 MX$31.29

69.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.27 MX$23.76

70.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.19 MX$59.9

91.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$5.31 MX$99.6

30.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.72 MX$32.38

-48.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.04 MX$57.1

24.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.94 MX$36.44

63.40%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.89 MX$54.2

65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.10 $15.10

$10.97 MX$206

37.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 $9.74

$9.25 MX$174

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 $17.81

$15.13 MX$284

17.71%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$3.05 MX$57.2

116.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.94 MX$36.45

-35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.03 MX$38.02

119.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.31 MX$43.46

148.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.04 MX$38.21

42.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.80 MX$33.79

100.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.48 MX$27.77

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.27 MX$23.80

74.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.64 $8.64

$5.30 MX$99.6

63.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$16.10 MX$302

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.98 MX$37.23

13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$4.25 MX$79.8

-35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.31 MX$5.73

293.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.38 $40.38

$19.73 MX$371

104.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.84 MX$34.50

58.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.53 MX$10.02

262.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.79 $17.79

$5.30 MX$99.4

235.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.51 MX$28.36

-33.11%

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

$30.8K $30.8K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

41.67%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

7.70%

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

$185 $185

$63.0 MX$1,182

194.35%

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

$56.7 $56.7

$27.39 MX$514

107.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$35.67 MX$670

92.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 $33.01

$58.9 MX$1,107

-43.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 $5.90

$23.64 MX$444

-75.04%

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$6.40 MX$120

130.31%

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

$1,317 $1,317

$432 MX$8,103

205.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

109.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 $60.5

$68.2 MX$1,281

-11.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 $55.7

$53.1 MX$997

4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$108 MX$2,023

-5.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$117 MX$2,202

35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,113 MX$20.9K

54.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$710 MX$13.3K

81.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 $2,825

$2,588 MX$48.6K

9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,915 $1,915

$1,406 MX$26.4K

36.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,556 $4,556

$3,631 MX$68.2K

25.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,115 $2,115

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-0.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,605 $4,605

$946 MX$17.8K

386.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.35

-41.76%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 44.9% $580

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$411 15.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 22.3% $91

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$341 12.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 41.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$311 11.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 59.4% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$170 6.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 8.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$62 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 14.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 55.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Raleigh, NC and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Raleigh, NC pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Raleigh, NC vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

2 h behind Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

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 October 31, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Raleigh, NC Mexico City 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
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

Raleigh, NC vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,643 in Raleigh, NC and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Raleigh, NC is about 4.9 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: $1,715 in Raleigh, NC 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 51% less than in Raleigh, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,317 in Raleigh, NC versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 39% less than in Raleigh, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.