Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockville, MD and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,247 in Rockville, MD, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Rockville, MD
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Rockville, MD Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Rockville, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,247

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,247 in Rockville, MD versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Rockville, MD $3,247
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,701 in Rockville, MD versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Rockville, MD $4,701
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,154 in Rockville, MD versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Rockville, MD $6,154
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Rockville, MD is roughly 102% 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: Rockville, MD 139% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 $22.62

$10.62 MX$198

112.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$48.35 MX$901

54.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$10.35 MX$193

-1.55%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$3.69 MX$68.8

43.90%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.67 MX$31.07

44.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.27 MX$23.59

39.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 $6.63

$3.19 MX$59.5

107.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 $7.47

$5.31 MX$98.9

40.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.72 MX$32.15

-34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 $2.98

$3.04 MX$56.7

-1.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.94 MX$36.19

37.11%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$2.89 MX$53.8

31.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 $9.75

$10.97 MX$205

-11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$9.25 MX$172

0.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 $18.29

$15.13 MX$282

20.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.05 MX$56.8

55.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.94 MX$36.19

-34.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.03 MX$37.75

115.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.31 MX$43.15

67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.04 MX$37.94

27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.80 MX$33.55

36.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.48 MX$27.58

75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.27 MX$23.63

41.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 $14.00

$5.30 MX$98.9

164.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.48 $14.48

$16.10 MX$300

-10.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.98 MX$36.97

21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 $3.76

$4.25 MX$79.3

-11.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 $3.16

$0.31 MX$5.69

919.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$19.73 MX$368

457.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.05 $5.05

$1.84 MX$34.25

174.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.53 MX$9.94

109.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.29 $23.29

$5.30 MX$98.7

339.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.51 MX$28.16

-29.14%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

57.54%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

9.70%

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

$297 $297

$63.0 MX$1,174

372.28%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$27.39 MX$511

85.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 $60.6

$35.67 MX$665

69.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.82 $42.82

$58.9 MX$1,099

-27.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 $12.46

$23.64 MX$441

-47.29%

Cinema Ticket

$16.64 $16.64

$6.40 MX$119

160.00%

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

$1,934 $1,934

$432 MX$8,045

348.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K $27.7K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

142.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.01 $46.01

$68.2 MX$1,272

-32.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.71 $39.71

$53.1 MX$990

-25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 $88.5

$108 MX$2,009

-17.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$117 MX$2,186

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 $2,213

$1,113 MX$20.8K

98.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$710 MX$13.2K

152.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,763 $3,763

$2,588 MX$48.2K

45.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,061 $3,061

$1,406 MX$26.2K

117.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 $4,172

$3,631 MX$67.7K

14.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,976 $2,976

$2,135 MX$39.8K

39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,378 $6,378

$946 MX$17.6K

574.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.35

-43.08%

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

Last update for Rockville, MD: 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

Rockville, MD

$1.8K 55.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 60.3% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockville, MD

$409 12.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 69.2% $283

Groceries & Markets

Rockville, MD

$359 11.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 11% $40

Eating Out

Rockville, MD

$340 10.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 41.6% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Rockville, MD

$138 4.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 12.9% $18

Getting Around

Rockville, MD

$133 4.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 80.9% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Rockville, MD

$76 2.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 5.7% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,213 in Rockville, MD and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockville, MD pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Rockville, MD vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockville, MD

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind Rockville, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,139

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Rockville, MD Mexico City 3,040 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rockville, MD
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

Rockville, MD vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rockville, MD and Mexico City differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($3,247 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Rockville, MD is about 6.7 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: $2,213 in Rockville, MD 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 82% less than in Rockville, MD. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,934 in Rockville, MD versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,247 in Rockville, MD, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Rockville, MD. 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 50% less than in Rockville, MD. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.