Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,475 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

166

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,475

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,475 in Staefa versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Staefa $3,475
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,304 in Staefa versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Staefa $5,304
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,132 in Staefa versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Staefa $7,132
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Staefa is roughly 116% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Staefa 155% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.44 CHF 27.72

$10.62 MX$199

214.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$48.35 MX$904

151.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.20 CHF 13.43

$10.35 MX$193

56.52%

Cappuccino

$6.25 CHF 5.18

$3.69 MX$69.0

69.38%

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

$5.69 CHF 4.71

$1.67 MX$31.14

240.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 CHF 4.23

$1.27 MX$23.65

301.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 CHF 6.94

$3.19 MX$59.7

162.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 CHF 7.13

$5.31 MX$99.2

61.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$1.72 MX$32.23

25.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 CHF 2.72

$3.04 MX$56.8

7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 CHF 3.22

$1.94 MX$36.27

100.52%

Eggs

$8.36 CHF 6.93

$2.89 MX$54.0

189.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.66 CHF 22.10

$10.97 MX$205

143.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 22.02

$9.25 MX$173

187.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.3 CHF 45.82

$15.13 MX$283

265.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 CHF 2.89

$3.05 MX$57.0

14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.31

$1.94 MX$36.27

43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.97

$2.03 MX$37.85

76.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 CHF 3.75

$2.31 MX$43.25

95.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 CHF 2.05

$2.04 MX$38.03

21.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.81

$1.80 MX$33.63

21.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.03

$1.48 MX$27.64

65.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.07

$1.27 MX$23.69

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.85

$5.30 MX$99.1

101.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 CHF 11.73

$16.10 MX$301

-12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 CHF 2.28

$1.98 MX$37.06

38.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.66

$4.25 MX$79.5

-24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.36 CHF 3.61

$0.31 MX$5.70

1306.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CHF 83.5

$19.73 MX$369

410.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.54 CHF 6.25

$1.84 MX$34.34

309.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.69 CHF 3.89

$0.53 MX$9.97

784.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$86.9 CHF 72.1

$5.30 MX$99.0

1540.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.92

$1.51 MX$28.23

53.64%

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

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

80.13%

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

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

60.71%

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

$232 CHF 192

$63.0 MX$1,177

268.72%

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

$32.86 CHF 27.24

$27.39 MX$512

19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 46.04

$35.67 MX$666

55.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 CHF 75.5

$58.9 MX$1,101

54.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.55 CHF 38.59

$23.64 MX$442

96.91%

Cinema Ticket

$21.56 CHF 17.87

$6.40 MX$120

236.87%

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

$2,904 CHF 2,407

$432 MX$8,065

572.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 35.0K

$11.4K MX$213.5K

269.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$139 CHF 115

$68.2 MX$1,275

103.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 CHF 48.38

$53.1 MX$993

9.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 CHF 120

$108 MX$2,014

34.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 CHF 141

$117 MX$2,191

44.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CHF 1,459

$1,113 MX$20.8K

58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 CHF 1,251

$710 MX$13.3K

112.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,982 CHF 2,472

$2,588 MX$48.4K

15.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,507 CHF 2,078

$1,406 MX$26.3K

78.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.4K CHF 13.6K

$3,631 MX$67.8K

350.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.2K CHF 10.1K

$2,135 MX$39.9K

469.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

11.35

-84.85%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.5K 43.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 52.9% $799

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$639 18.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 50% $319

Eating Out

Staefa

$493 14.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 59.7% $295

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$321 9.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 60.7% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$230 6.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 32.3% $75

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 82.9% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$134 3.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 46.6% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,760 in Staefa and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Staefa vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $639 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

7 h behind Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.829 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Staefa Mexico City 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Staefa
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

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

Staefa and Mexico City differ by about 116% in total monthly costs ($3,475 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,213 in Staefa and $2,412 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,760 in Staefa versus $1,113 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 80% less than in Staefa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,904 in Staefa versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,475 in Staefa, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Staefa. 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 54% less than in Staefa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.