Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Singapore $3,454
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Singapore $5,224
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Singapore $6,994
Mexico City $3,319

Living in Singapore is roughly 121% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$11.12 MX$202

3.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$48.99 MX$891

45.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$11.23 MX$204

-21.99%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.76 MX$68.4

39.63%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.65 MX$30.05

10.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.28 MX$23.27

-2.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$3.26 MX$59.2

158.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$5.66 MX$103

77.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.81 MX$32.92

62.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$2.94 MX$53.5

-15.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$2.05 MX$37.27

32.20%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.93 MX$53.2

27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$11.95 MX$217

80.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$9.51 MX$173

0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$14.84 MX$270

75.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$3.14 MX$57.2

42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.01 MX$36.65

54.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.08 MX$37.75

122.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.22 MX$40.35

0.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$2.06 MX$37.47

21.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.88 MX$34.14

26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.48 MX$26.93

20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$1.35 MX$24.47

11.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$5.41 MX$98.4

162.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$16.86 MX$307

41.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.98 MX$36.09

127.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$4.32 MX$78.7

5.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.34 MX$6.27

364.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$20.23 MX$368

376.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$2.10 MX$38.11

72.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.53 MX$9.65

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$5.41 MX$98.3

199.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.52 MX$27.65

65.13%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.7K MX$395.3K

617.24%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$24.8K MX$451.4K

487.47%

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

$175 SGD 224

$63.0 MX$1,145

177.94%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$28.88 MX$525

-56.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$33.93 MX$617

-21.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$55.8 MX$1,015

99.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$24.90 MX$453

-51.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$6.77 MX$123

71.34%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$428 MX$7,781

242.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.9K MX$216.0K

138.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$70.0 MX$1,274

16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$53.7 MX$977

-5.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$110 MX$1,997

1.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$115 MX$2,096

12.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$1,062 MX$19.3K

174.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$671 MX$12.2K

217.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$2,379 MX$43.3K

137.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$1,260 MX$22.9K

214.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$3,716 MX$67.6K

535.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,976 MX$35.9K

751.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$997 MX$18.1K

338.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

11.3

-78.41%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 68.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 28.5% $131

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 19.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Mexico City

$126 8% 41.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 48.5% $65

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 76.1% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 338% 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: $71.0 in Singapore vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

20:40 8:40 PM

14 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Mexico City 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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

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

Singapore and Mexico City differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($3,454 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 338% higher in Singapore, 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: $2,916 in Singapore versus $1,062 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 376% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Singapore. 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.

Safety-wise, Singapore 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.