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: $1,642 in Spain versus $1,122 in Mexico.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,395 in Spain versus $1,787 in Mexico.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,148 in Spain versus $2,452 in Mexico.

Living in Spain is roughly 46% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

Spain (23% above) and Mexico (16% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $1,132 to $3,287, compared to $710–$2,354 in Mexico. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.25 €14.18

$10.60 MX$184

53.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 €49.75

$41.53 MX$721

37.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 €8.93

$8.06 MX$140

26.92%

Cappuccino

$2.39 €2.08

$3.44 MX$59.6

-30.52%

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

$2.59 €2.26

$1.33 MX$23.16

94.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.60

$0.97 MX$16.75

88.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €2.95

$2.35 MX$40.77

43.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.48

$4.16 MX$72.3

-4.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.06

$1.52 MX$26.37

-19.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.33

$2.54 MX$44.11

-40.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.46

$1.76 MX$30.58

-4.55%

Eggs

$2.93 €2.56

$2.37 MX$41.07

23.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.42 €12.59

$8.40 MX$146

71.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 €7.51

$7.53 MX$131

14.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.94 €13.91

$10.78 MX$187

47.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.21

$2.73 MX$47.43

-6.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.74

$1.43 MX$24.87

39.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.85

$1.84 MX$32.00

15.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.32

$1.84 MX$32.02

44.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.55

$2.04 MX$35.37

-13.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.66

$2.03 MX$35.25

-6.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.13

$1.26 MX$21.80

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.68

$1.02 MX$17.64

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.40 €5.59

$4.27 MX$74.2

49.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.15

$11.55 MX$200

-48.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.15

$1.63 MX$28.36

-19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.81

$3.00 MX$52.0

-30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.51

$0.60 MX$10.50

188.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.65 €30.23

$26.70 MX$463

29.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 €4.02

$2.65 MX$46.05

73.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.12

$2.00 MX$34.67

-36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €23.64

$10.37 MX$180

161.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.53

$1.25 MX$21.74

40.00%

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

$38.9K €33.9K

$19.9K MX$345.8K

95.09%

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

$31.2K €27.2K

$23.4K MX$406.8K

33.09%

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

$149 €130

$64.4 MX$1,117

131.90%

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

$19.93 €17.39

$23.25 MX$404

-14.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.57 €29.29

$28.41 MX$493

18.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 €40.56

$34.66 MX$602

34.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.59 €13.61

$18.54 MX$322

-15.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.41 €8.21

$4.67 MX$81.0

101.50%

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

$514 €448

$247 MX$4,284

108.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,822

$5,631 MX$97.7K

79.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 €76.4

$52.6 MX$914

66.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.02 €32.30

$40.73 MX$707

-9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 €78.9

$94.8 MX$1,646

-4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €93.0

$88.9 MX$1,543

19.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €925

$638 MX$11.1K

66.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 €721

$446 MX$7,735

85.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,661 €1,449

$1,228 MX$21.3K

35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 €1,081

$873 MX$15.1K

41.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,377 €3,819

$2,711 MX$47.0K

61.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,690 €2,347

$1,567 MX$27.2K

71.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,066 €1,802

$821 MX$14.2K

151.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

11.45

-69.34%

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

Last update for Spain: June 14, 2026

Last update for Mexico: June 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $898 in Spain, $529 in Mexico. Capital cities: $1,565 in Madrid vs $994 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $2,019 in Spain, $781 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 70% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 36% more in Spain.

Public transport is 200% 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 $1,532 per month in Mexico and $2,210 in Spain, there's a 44% 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.