Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Mexico Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,669 in Spain versus $1,272 in Mexico.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,464 in Spain versus $2,029 in Mexico.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,258 in Spain versus $2,785 in Mexico.

Living in Spain is roughly 31% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

Spain (22% above) and Mexico (7% below) straddle the global median.

Spain ($925–$2,734) and Mexico ($781–$2,788) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.12 €14.65

$11.80 MX$200

45.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 €48.92

$47.35 MX$802

20.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 €9.99

$10.10 MX$171

15.64%

Cappuccino

$2.44 €2.08

$3.89 MX$66.0

-37.28%

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

$2.70 €2.31

$1.57 MX$26.67

71.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.58

$1.10 MX$18.71

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 €2.87

$2.88 MX$48.76

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 €3.54

$4.61 MX$78.2

-10.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.02

$1.71 MX$29.06

-29.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.31

$3.03 MX$51.4

-49.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.38

$1.86 MX$31.51

-12.90%

Eggs

$3.38 €2.89

$2.72 MX$46.11

24.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 €12.55

$9.80 MX$166

49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 €7.30

$8.99 MX$152

-5.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 €14.39

$12.47 MX$211

34.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.19

$3.15 MX$53.5

-19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 €1.79

$1.72 MX$29.17

22.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.90

$2.22 MX$37.67

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.27

$2.09 MX$35.36

26.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.56

$2.11 MX$35.80

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.72

$2.09 MX$35.41

-3.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.14

$1.47 MX$24.89

-9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.69

$1.18 MX$19.96

-32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €5.90

$4.84 MX$82.0

42.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 €5.08

$11.54 MX$196

-48.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.09

$1.84 MX$31.23

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.78

$3.50 MX$59.3

-40.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 €1.51

$0.68 MX$11.51

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.96 €29.91

$29.69 MX$503

17.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.63 €3.96

$2.85 MX$48.26

62.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.31

$2.81 MX$47.69

-45.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.23 €21.58

$11.57 MX$196

118.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.53

$1.50 MX$25.39

19.33%

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

$36.9K €31.6K

$23.1K MX$390.8K

60.24%

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

$29.9K €25.6K

$26.4K MX$447.1K

13.37%

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

$152 €130

$75.5 MX$1,279

101.46%

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

$18.45 €15.78

$25.06 MX$425

-26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 €28.11

$31.71 MX$537

3.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.36 €39.66

$39.58 MX$671

17.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €13.53

$18.91 MX$320

-16.34%

Cinema Ticket

$9.86 €8.43

$5.68 MX$96.3

73.59%

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

$540 €462

$282 MX$4,774

91.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,354

$6,872 MX$116.5K

59.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €75.2

$60.1 MX$1,019

46.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 €31.88

$44.06 MX$747

-15.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €78.9

$106 MX$1,800

-13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €94.6

$98.9 MX$1,676

11.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 €887

$775 MX$13.1K

33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 €693

$491 MX$8,320

65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 €1,426

$1,442 MX$24.4K

15.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,079

$944 MX$16.0K

33.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,217 €3,607

$2,710 MX$45.9K

55.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,693 €2,303

$1,611 MX$27.3K

67.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,047 €1,751

$838 MX$14.2K

144.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

11.43

-71.22%

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

Last update for Spain: August 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico: August 18, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $919 in Spain, $662 in Mexico. Capital cities: $1,614 in Madrid vs $1,147 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,026 in Spain, $782 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 28% more in Spain.

Public transport is 131% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 159% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

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

Spain vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,785 per month in Mexico and $1,830 in Spain, there's a 3% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Mexico: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Spain is consistently higher than in Mexico across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Mexico, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Mexico wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.