Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setagaya-ku and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Setagaya-ku
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,183
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

  • Setagaya-ku $1,183
  • Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,834 in Setagaya-ku versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

  • Setagaya-ku $1,834
  • Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,484 in Setagaya-ku versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

  • Setagaya-ku $2,484
  • Mexico City $3,333

Living in Setagaya-ku costs roughly 24% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Setagaya-ku is 12% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.12 ¥968
$10.75 MX$199
-43.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.64 ¥4,050
$50.3 MX$929
-48.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.36 ¥690
$11.10 MX$205
-60.72%
Cappuccino
$2.97 ¥470
$3.68 MX$68.1
-19.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 ¥165
$1.65 MX$30.42
-36.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ¥102
$1.30 MX$24.08
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ¥346
$3.32 MX$61.3
-34.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 ¥508
$5.54 MX$102
-41.88%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 ¥194
$1.77 MX$32.68
-30.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.72 ¥272
$3.05 MX$56.4
-43.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.64 ¥575
$2.01 MX$37.20
81.09%
Eggs
$1.17 ¥186
$2.77 MX$51.1
-57.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.40 ¥1,643
$11.91 MX$220
-12.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.11 ¥965
$9.33 MX$172
-34.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.25 ¥2,252
$15.02 MX$278
-5.13%
Apples (1kg)
$5.59 ¥883
$3.08 MX$56.8
81.49%
Banana (1kg)
$2.74 ¥433
$1.95 MX$35.97
40.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.95 ¥466
$2.03 MX$37.54
45.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.14 ¥654
$2.21 MX$40.92
87.33%
Potato (1kg)
$2.62 ¥415
$2.02 MX$37.41
29.70%
Onion (1kg)
$2.63 ¥416
$1.82 MX$33.67
44.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 ¥196
$1.52 MX$28.07
-18.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ¥87.7
$1.28 MX$23.65
-56.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.79 ¥599
$5.27 MX$97.4
-28.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.26 ¥989
$16.12 MX$298
-61.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 ¥287
$1.95 MX$36.05
-7.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 ¥330
$4.25 MX$78.6
-50.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.46 ¥231
$0.31 MX$5.82
370.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$50.7 ¥8,012
$19.85 MX$367
155.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 ¥510
$2.00 MX$36.93
61.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.66 ¥421
$0.53 MX$9.86
401.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.85 ¥3,294
$5.62 MX$104
271.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥174
$1.52 MX$28.07
-27.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ¥3.4M
$21.0K MX$388.7K
0.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.6K ¥2.9M
$25.2K MX$465.3K
-26.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$131 ¥20.6K
$62.5 MX$1,155
109.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.82 ¥3,764
$28.77 MX$532
-17.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.73 ¥5,013
$34.45 MX$637
-7.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.0 ¥8,691
$57.1 MX$1,055
-3.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.81 MX$458
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.52 ¥1,820
$6.67 MX$123
72.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$636 ¥100.5K
$431 MX$7,964
47.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ¥2.3M
$11.7K MX$216.9K
25.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.3 ¥9,846
$70.8 MX$1,308
-11.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.37 ¥5,747
$51.8 MX$958
-29.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.1 ¥9,814
$109 MX$2,011
-42.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 ¥16.2K
$112 MX$2,076
-8.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$534 ¥84.4K
$1,051 MX$19.4K
-49.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$325 ¥51.4K
$665 MX$12.3K
-51.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,152 ¥182.0K
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-50.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$674 ¥106.4K
$1,227 MX$22.7K
-45.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,724 ¥588.4K
$3,554 MX$65.7K
4.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,635 ¥258.4K
$1,977 MX$36.5K
-17.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Setagaya-ku
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$975 MX$18.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2
11.3
-82.30%

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

Last update for Setagaya-ku: 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
Setagaya-ku
$325
Mexico City
$665 105% $340
Groceries & Markets
Setagaya-ku
$281
Mexico City
$323 15% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setagaya-ku
$186
Mexico City
$126 32.5% $60
Eating Out
Setagaya-ku
$122
Mexico City
$203 66.5% $81
Clothing & Footwear
Setagaya-ku
$118
Mexico City
$155 30.7% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Setagaya-ku
$78
Mexico City
$70 9.8% $7.6
Getting Around
Setagaya-ku
$73
Mexico City
$26 64.7% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $534 in Setagaya-ku and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $26.00 in Setagaya-ku vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 vs $323 per month, with Setagaya-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
23:47 11:47 PM
08:47 8:47 AM
15 h behind Setagaya-ku
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
943,664
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Setagaya-ku Mexico City 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Setagaya-ku
  • 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
Setagaya-ku vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Setagaya-ku and in Mexico City?
Setagaya-ku and Mexico City differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,183 vs $1,567 including rent). Setagaya-ku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Setagaya-ku compared to Mexico City?
You'd need roughly $1,775 in Setagaya-ku and $2,351 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Setagaya-ku and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $534 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Setagaya-ku and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Setagaya-ku runs roughly 155% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Setagaya-ku and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $636 in Setagaya-ku versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $1,183 in Setagaya-ku versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Setagaya-ku but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Setagaya-ku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Setagaya-ku and Mexico City?
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.
Is Setagaya-ku or Mexico City safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Setagaya-ku and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Setagaya-ku or Mexico City?
Expats usually find Setagaya-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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