Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, VA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,888 in Richmond, VA, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Richmond, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,888

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,888 in Richmond, VA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Richmond, VA $2,888
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,184 in Richmond, VA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Richmond, VA $4,184
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,480 in Richmond, VA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Richmond, VA $5,480
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Richmond, VA is roughly 80% 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: Richmond, VA 112% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.80 $24.80

$10.62 MX$200

133.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$48.35 MX$909

103.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 $13.56

$10.35 MX$194

31.01%

Cappuccino

$5.99 $5.99

$3.69 MX$69.4

62.33%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.67 MX$31.32

64.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.27 MX$23.78

85.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.19 $7.19

$3.19 MX$60.0

125.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 $8.16

$5.31 MX$99.7

53.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.72 MX$32.41

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.04 MX$57.1

38.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.94 MX$36.48

97.42%

Eggs

$6.38 $6.38

$2.89 MX$54.3

120.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$10.97 MX$206

-11.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 $11.42

$9.25 MX$174

23.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.96 $20.96

$15.13 MX$284

38.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.05 MX$57.3

58.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.94 MX$36.48

-26.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.03 MX$38.06

94.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.31 MX$43.50

87.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.04 MX$38.25

40.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.80 MX$33.83

35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.48 MX$27.80

79.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.27 MX$23.82

62.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.86 $9.86

$5.30 MX$99.7

86.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.16 $13.16

$16.10 MX$303

-18.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.98 MX$37.27

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.25 MX$79.9

6.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.90 $29.90

$19.73 MX$371

51.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.84 MX$34.53

39.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.53 MX$10.03

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 $22.48

$5.30 MX$99.5

324.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.51 MX$28.39

-33.11%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

25.71%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

7.29%

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

$209 $209

$63.0 MX$1,184

231.55%

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

$61.9 $61.9

$27.39 MX$515

125.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$35.67 MX$670

98.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 $56.4

$58.9 MX$1,108

-4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.11 $20.11

$23.64 MX$444

-14.93%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$6.40 MX$120

137.34%

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

$1,245 $1,245

$432 MX$8,111

188.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K $31.0K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

171.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 $94.4

$68.2 MX$1,282

38.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.32 $46.32

$53.1 MX$999

-12.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$108 MX$2,026

-6.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$117 MX$2,204

-0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 $1,655

$1,113 MX$20.9K

48.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 $1,465

$710 MX$13.4K

106.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 $2,726

$2,588 MX$48.6K

5.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 $2,225

$1,406 MX$26.4K

58.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,132 $3,132

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-13.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,846 $2,846

$2,135 MX$40.1K

33.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,325 $4,325

$946 MX$17.8K

357.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.35

-42.82%

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

Last update for Richmond, VA: 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

Richmond, VA

$1.5K 50.7%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 51.5% $755

Groceries & Markets

Richmond, VA

$409 14.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 21.9% $90

Eating Out

Richmond, VA

$384 13.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 48.2% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond, VA

$342 11.8%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 63.1% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond, VA

$161 5.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 3.4% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond, VA

$87 3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 17.4% $15

Getting Around

Richmond, VA

$40 * 1.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 37% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,655 in Richmond, VA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Richmond, VA pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Richmond, VA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $409 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Richmond, VA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

20:55 8:55 PM

1 h behind Richmond, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

226,610

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Richmond, VA Mexico City 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Richmond, VA
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

Richmond, VA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,888 in Richmond, VA and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 44% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Richmond, VA is about 4.6 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: $1,655 in Richmond, VA 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 34% less than in Richmond, VA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,245 in Richmond, VA 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 44% less than in Richmond, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.