Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staunton, VA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,166 in Staunton, VA, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Staunton, VA
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Staunton, VA Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Staunton, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Staunton, VA versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Staunton, VA $2,166
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,267 in Staunton, VA versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Staunton, VA $3,267
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,368 in Staunton, VA versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Staunton, VA $4,368
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Staunton, VA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Staunton, VA 60% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.98 $19.98

$10.75 MX$199

85.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 $80.3

$50.3 MX$929

59.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.77 $12.77

$11.10 MX$205

15.05%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.68 MX$68.1

47.83%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.65 MX$30.42

85.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.30 MX$24.08

87.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.32 MX$61.3

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 $5.37

$5.54 MX$102

-3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.77 MX$32.68

-38.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.05 MX$56.4

7.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.01 MX$37.20

94.03%

Eggs

$4.73 $4.73

$2.77 MX$51.1

70.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.49 $11.49

$11.91 MX$220

-3.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.31 $15.31

$9.33 MX$172

64.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 $15.27

$15.02 MX$278

1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$3.08 MX$56.8

100.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.95 MX$35.97

-25.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.03 MX$37.54

98.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.21 MX$40.92

94.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.02 MX$37.41

6.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.82 MX$33.67

43.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.52 MX$28.07

29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.28 MX$23.65

100.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.28 $9.28

$5.27 MX$97.4

76.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.03 $16.03

$16.12 MX$298

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.95 MX$36.05

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$4.25 MX$78.6

-22.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.00 MX$36.93

154.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 $3.09

$0.53 MX$9.86

483.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.26 $35.26

$5.62 MX$104

527.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.52 MX$28.07

-42.11%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

7.79%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-2.88%

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

$178 $178

$62.5 MX$1,155

184.43%

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

$39.49 $39.49

$28.77 MX$532

37.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.34 $30.34

$34.45 MX$637

-11.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.06 $44.06

$57.1 MX$1,055

-22.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 $13.43

$6.67 MX$123

101.35%

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

$3,196 $3,196

$431 MX$7,964

641.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.7K $65.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

459.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 $87.1

$70.8 MX$1,308

23.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 $56.1

$51.8 MX$958

8.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 $141

$109 MX$2,011

29.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$112 MX$2,076

36.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 $1,324

$1,051 MX$19.4K

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 $904

$665 MX$12.3K

35.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 $1,479

$1,227 MX$22.7K

20.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,260 $2,260

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-36.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 $2,264

$1,977 MX$36.5K

14.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,970 $3,970

$975 MX$18.0K

307.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.99

11.3

-38.14%

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

Last update for Staunton, VA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staunton, VA

$904 41.8%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 26.5% $239

Groceries & Markets

Staunton, VA

$410 18.9%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 21.3% $87

Eating Out

Staunton, VA

$316 14.6%

Mexico City

$203 13% 35.7% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staunton, VA

$248 11.4%

Mexico City

$126 8% 49.2% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Staunton, VA

$197 9.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 21.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Staunton, VA

$71 3.3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Staunton, VA

$21 * 1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 25.6% $5.3

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 $1,324 in Staunton, VA and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Staunton, VA pays 307% 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: $80.0 in Staunton, VA vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Staunton, VA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

11:56 11:56 AM

2 h behind Staunton, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,528

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Staunton, VA Mexico City 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Staunton, 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

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

Staunton, VA and Mexico City differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Staunton, VA, 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: $1,324 in Staunton, VA versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,196 in Staunton, VA versus $431 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 $50.0 versus $80.0 in Staunton, VA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,166 in Staunton, VA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Staunton, VA. 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 38% less than in Staunton, VA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.