Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rochester and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,132 in Rochester, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Rochester
Learn more

Rochester Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Rochester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,132

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,132 in Rochester versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Rochester $2,132
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,270 in Rochester versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Rochester $3,270
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in Rochester versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Rochester $4,408
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Rochester is roughly 38% 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: Rochester 57% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.66 £19.25

$11.02 MX$204

132.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.2 £71.4

$48.68 MX$900

95.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 £7.55

$10.90 MX$201

-7.71%

Cappuccino

$4.99 £3.74

$3.68 MX$68.1

35.60%

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

$2.35 £1.76

$1.63 MX$30.18

44.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 £1.79

$1.25 MX$23.07

90.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.21 £3.91

$3.25 MX$60.1

60.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 £3.51

$5.53 MX$102

-15.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.70 MX$31.50

6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 £1.52

$3.02 MX$55.8

-33.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.92 MX$35.53

10.42%

Eggs

$3.55 £2.66

$2.73 MX$50.5

30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 £4.66

$11.77 MX$218

-47.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 £5.60

$9.53 MX$176

-21.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 £11.09

$14.41 MX$266

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.02 MX$55.8

-7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.89 MX$35.01

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$1.99 MX$36.70

15.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$2.19 MX$40.38

50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.92 MX$35.43

1.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.87 MX$34.49

-35.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.44 MX$26.62

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.27 MX$23.39

36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 £18.04

$5.22 MX$96.4

360.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 £8.01

$16.17 MX$299

-34.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.30

$1.90 MX$35.03

61.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.36

$4.22 MX$78.0

-25.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.10 £3.07

$0.34 MX$6.30

1105.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 £3.82

$2.00 MX$36.90

154.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.67 £2.00

$0.52 MX$9.67

413.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.41 £29.57

$5.34 MX$98.7

638.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.52 MX$28.13

39.47%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

72.21%

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

$40.3K £30.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

64.46%

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

$230 £173

$61.1 MX$1,129

277.34%

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

$16.51 £12.39

$28.58 MX$528

-42.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.34 £27.27

$34.47 MX$637

5.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.16 £29.38

$56.4 MX$1,042

-30.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 £13.00

$6.66 MX$123

160.21%

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

$1,310 £983

$427 MX$7,891

206.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K £23.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

164.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 £68.8

$67.8 MX$1,253

35.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.03 £34.53

$52.0 MX$960

-11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 £77.6

$106 MX$1,959

-2.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.3 £68.5

$113 MX$2,080

-18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 £1,152

$1,025 MX$18.9K

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 £714

$654 MX$12.1K

45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 £1,560

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-9.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 £1,271

$1,242 MX$22.9K

36.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,339 £4,005

$3,613 MX$66.8K

47.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,521 £3,392

$1,936 MX$35.8K

133.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,403 £2,553

$964 MX$17.8K

253.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

11.3

-54.69%

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

Last update for Rochester: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rochester

$952 44.7%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 31.3% $297

Eating Out

Rochester

$350 16.4%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 41.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Rochester

$289 13.6%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 10.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rochester

$283 13.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 56.2% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Rochester

$150 7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 1.8% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Rochester

$74 3.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Rochester

$35 * 1.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 26.4% $9.2

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 $1,536 in Rochester and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rochester pays 253% 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: $95.0 in Rochester vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $318, with Rochester cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Rochester

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

7 h behind Rochester

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,982

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rochester Mexico City 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rochester
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

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

Rochester and Mexico City differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,132 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 253% higher in Rochester, 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: $1,536 in Rochester versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,310 in Rochester versus $427 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 Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $95.0 in Rochester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,132 in Rochester, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Rochester. 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 38% less than in Rochester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.