Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford, VA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,568 in Stafford, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Stafford, VA
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Stafford, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Stafford, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,568 in Stafford, VA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Stafford, VA $2,568
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,011 in Stafford, VA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Stafford, VA $4,011
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Stafford, VA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Stafford, VA $5,454
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Stafford, VA is roughly 60% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stafford, VA 89% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.30 $16.30

$10.62 MX$198

53.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 $107

$48.35 MX$901

120.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.98 $11.98

$10.35 MX$193

15.75%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.69 MX$68.7

45.80%

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

$3.13 $3.13

$1.67 MX$31.05

87.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.27 MX$23.58

106.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 $6.81

$3.19 MX$59.5

113.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.88 $9.88

$5.31 MX$98.9

86.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.72 MX$32.13

-21.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.04 MX$56.6

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.19 $7.19

$1.94 MX$36.17

270.62%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$2.89 MX$53.8

75.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$10.97 MX$204

56.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$9.25 MX$172

20.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.41 $18.41

$15.13 MX$282

21.68%

Apples (1kg)

$7.04 $7.04

$3.05 MX$56.8

130.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.94 MX$36.17

18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.03 MX$37.73

151.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.31 MX$43.12

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.04 MX$37.91

37.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.80 MX$33.53

106.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.48 MX$27.56

79.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$1.27 MX$23.62

118.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 $14.05

$5.30 MX$98.8

165.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.11 $16.11

$16.10 MX$300

0.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.98 MX$36.95

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 $5.64

$4.25 MX$79.2

32.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.84 MX$34.23

120.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 $1.62

$0.53 MX$9.94

205.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.50 $25.50

$5.30 MX$98.7

381.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.51 MX$28.14

-29.14%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.8K MX$405.3K

58.60%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.0K MX$446.9K

7.40%

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

$137 $137

$63.0 MX$1,173

118.10%

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

$81.7 $81.7

$27.39 MX$510

198.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$35.67 MX$664

122.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$17.85 $17.85

$6.40 MX$119

178.91%

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

$2,906 $2,906

$432 MX$8,041

573.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.8K $40.8K

$11.4K MX$212.8K

257.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 $72.2

$68.2 MX$1,271

5.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.78 $44.78

$53.1 MX$990

-15.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$108 MX$2,008

-1.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$117 MX$2,185

7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,767 $1,767

$1,113 MX$20.7K

58.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 $1,283

$710 MX$13.2K

80.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$2,588 MX$48.2K

1.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,406 $2,406

$1,406 MX$26.2K

71.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,271 $3,271

$2,135 MX$39.8K

53.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,504 $7,504

$946 MX$17.6K

693.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-47.14%

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

Last update for Stafford, VA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stafford, VA

$1.3K 50%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 44.6% $573

Groceries & Markets

Stafford, VA

$475 18.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 32.7% $155

Eating Out

Stafford, VA

$308 12%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 35.5% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stafford, VA

$298 11.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 57.8% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Stafford, VA

$157 6.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Stafford, VA

$36 * 1.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 101% $36

Getting Around

Stafford, VA

$12 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 109% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,767 in Stafford, VA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford, VA pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $107 in Stafford, VA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stafford, VA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

22:29 10:29 PM

2 h behind Stafford, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,693

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stafford, VA Mexico City 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stafford, VA
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

Stafford, VA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,568 in Stafford, VA and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Stafford, VA is about 7.9 times higher, 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: $1,767 in Stafford, VA versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,906 in Stafford, VA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $107 in Stafford, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Stafford, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.