Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottsdale, AZ and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Scottsdale, AZ
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Scottsdale, AZ Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Scottsdale, AZ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,911

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Scottsdale, AZ $2,911
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,339 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Scottsdale, AZ $4,339
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,767 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Scottsdale, AZ $5,767
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Scottsdale, AZ is roughly 86% 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: Scottsdale, AZ 116% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.63 $19.63

$10.75 MX$199

82.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 $85.9

$50.3 MX$929

71.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.83 $12.83

$11.10 MX$205

15.59%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.68 MX$68.1

44.57%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.65 MX$30.42

78.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.30 MX$24.08

83.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 $6.10

$3.32 MX$61.3

83.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 $7.88

$5.54 MX$102

42.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.77 MX$32.68

-42.94%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.05 MX$56.4

33.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.01 MX$37.20

147.26%

Eggs

$4.49 $4.49

$2.77 MX$51.1

62.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 $13.68

$11.91 MX$220

14.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$9.33 MX$172

20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$15.02 MX$278

14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.08 MX$56.8

42.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.95 MX$35.97

-4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.03 MX$37.54

85.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.21 MX$40.92

88.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.02 MX$37.41

40.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.82 MX$33.67

54.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.52 MX$28.07

39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.28 MX$23.65

105.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$5.27 MX$97.4

102.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$16.12 MX$298

-16.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.95 MX$36.05

27.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$4.25 MX$78.6

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.31 MX$5.82

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 $42.51

$19.85 MX$367

114.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.00 MX$36.93

38.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.53 MX$9.86

152.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.81 $35.81

$5.62 MX$104

537.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.52 MX$28.07

-21.71%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

74.25%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

0.88%

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

$200 $200

$62.5 MX$1,155

220.52%

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

$63.7 $63.7

$28.77 MX$532

121.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$34.45 MX$637

118.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.23 $34.23

$57.1 MX$1,055

-40.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.04 $10.04

$24.81 MX$458

-59.53%

Cinema Ticket

$13.71 $13.71

$6.67 MX$123

105.55%

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

$1,238 $1,238

$431 MX$7,964

187.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

71.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 $54.9

$70.8 MX$1,308

-22.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.13 $43.13

$51.8 MX$958

-16.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 $99.2

$109 MX$2,011

-8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 $133

$112 MX$2,076

18.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,387 $2,387

$1,051 MX$19.4K

127.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$665 MX$12.3K

135.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,230 $3,230

$2,346 MX$43.3K

37.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$1,227 MX$22.7K

125.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,759 $3,759

$3,554 MX$65.7K

5.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,744 $4,744

$1,977 MX$36.5K

139.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,671 $5,671

$975 MX$18.0K

481.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.3

-41.42%

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

Last update for Scottsdale, AZ: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottsdale, AZ

$1.6K 53.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 57.6% $902

Groceries & Markets

Scottsdale, AZ

$406 14%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 20.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottsdale, AZ

$339 11.7%

Mexico City

$126 8% 62.9% $213

Eating Out

Scottsdale, AZ

$327 11.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 37.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Scottsdale, AZ

$149 5.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 4.1% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Scottsdale, AZ

$62 2.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 14.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Scottsdale, AZ

$61 2.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 57.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scottsdale, AZ pays 482% 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: $86.0 in Scottsdale, AZ vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scottsdale, AZ

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

1 h ahead of Scottsdale, AZ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,361

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Scottsdale, AZ Mexico City 2,010 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

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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

Scottsdale, AZ vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottsdale, AZ and Mexico City differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($2,911 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 482% higher in Scottsdale, AZ, 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: $2,387 in Scottsdale, AZ 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 Mexico City runs roughly 114% less than in Scottsdale, AZ. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Scottsdale, AZ versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,911 in Scottsdale, AZ, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Scottsdale, AZ. 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 86% less than in Scottsdale, AZ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.