Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,196 in Swansea, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Swansea, United Kingdom
Mexico City, Mexico
Swansea
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,196
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,196 in Swansea versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

  • Swansea $2,196
  • Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,130 in Swansea versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

  • Swansea $3,130
  • Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,065 in Swansea versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

  • Swansea $4,065
  • Mexico City $3,490

Living in Swansea is roughly 37% 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: Swansea 61% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.41 £15.24
$10.62 MX$199
92.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.1 £47.08
$48.35 MX$908
30.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.47 £7.82
$10.35 MX$194
1.16%
Cappuccino
$4.76 £3.56
$3.69 MX$69.3
29.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 £1.76
$1.67 MX$31.29
41.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 £0.94
$1.27 MX$23.76
-0.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 £4.40
$3.19 MX$59.9
84.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.38 £4.77
$5.31 MX$99.6
20.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 £1.00
$1.72 MX$32.38
-22.09%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.53
$3.04 MX$57.1
-32.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 £1.54
$1.94 MX$36.44
6.19%
Eggs
$3.52 £2.62
$2.89 MX$54.2
21.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.78 £5.81
$10.97 MX$206
-29.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.33 £6.22
$9.25 MX$174
-9.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.87 £9.61
$15.13 MX$284
-14.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 £1.73
$3.05 MX$57.2
-23.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.24 £0.93
$1.94 MX$36.45
-36.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 £2.14
$2.03 MX$38.02
41.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.57 £2.67
$2.31 MX$43.46
54.55%
Potato (1kg)
$2.25 £1.68
$2.04 MX$38.21
10.29%
Onion (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$1.80 MX$33.79
69.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 £0.95
$1.48 MX$27.77
-14.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 £1.71
$1.27 MX$23.80
80.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.23 £17.34
$5.30 MX$99.6
338.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 £7.93
$16.10 MX$302
-33.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 £1.74
$1.98 MX$37.23
17.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 £2.54
$4.25 MX$79.8
-20.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.12 £3.08
$0.31 MX$5.73
1229.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.1 £72.5
$19.73 MX$371
391.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.95 £2.95
$1.84 MX$34.50
114.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.68 £2.00
$0.53 MX$10.02
405.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.33 £24.88
$5.30 MX$99.4
528.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 £1.46
$1.51 MX$28.36
29.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.9K £29.1K
$21.8K MX$408.4K
78.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.2K
$24.0K MX$450.3K
68.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$306 £229
$63.0 MX$1,182
386.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.81 £11.06
$27.39 MX$514
-45.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.20 £32.26
$35.67 MX$670
21.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.28 £24.85
$58.9 MX$1,107
-43.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.52 £11.59
$23.64 MX$444
-34.35%
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 £7.36
$6.40 MX$120
53.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,777 £1,327
$432 MX$8,103
311.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$11.4K MX$214.5K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.7 £66.9
$68.2 MX$1,281
31.41%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.22 £36.01
$53.1 MX$997
-9.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 £91.3
$108 MX$2,023
13.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.6 £61.6
$117 MX$2,202
-29.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,112 £830
$1,113 MX$20.9K
-0.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$891 £665
$710 MX$13.3K
25.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,500 £1,120
$2,588 MX$48.6K
-42.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,337 £999
$1,406 MX$26.4K
-4.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,563 £2,660
$3,631 MX$68.2K
-1.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,615 £1,952
$2,135 MX$40.1K
22.47%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Swansea
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,263 £2,436
$946 MX$17.8K
244.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.04
11.35
-46.78%

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

Last update for Swansea: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Swansea
$891
Mexico City
$710 20.3% $181
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swansea
$364
Mexico City
$126 65.4% $238
Eating Out
Swansea
$309
Mexico City
$199 35.6% $110
Groceries & Markets
Swansea
$293
Mexico City
$320 8.9% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Swansea
$154
Mexico City
$156 1.1% $1.7
Getting Around
Swansea
$131
Mexico City
$25 80.6% $105
Sport & Entertainment
Swansea
$53
Mexico City
$72 35.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,112 in Swansea and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Swansea vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $293 vs $320, with Swansea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Swansea
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
21:22 9:22 PM
15:22 3:22 PM
6 h behind Swansea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
239,000
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Swansea Mexico City 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Swansea
  • 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
Swansea vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Swansea and in Mexico City?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,196 in Swansea and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Swansea or Mexico City?
Average pay in Swansea is about 3.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Swansea and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,112 in Swansea versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Swansea and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 80% less than in Swansea. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Swansea and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $1,777 in Swansea versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How far does $3,000 go in Swansea compared to Mexico City?
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.
Where should digital nomads live: Swansea or Mexico City?
Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.
How do I decide between Swansea and Mexico City?
It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Swansea on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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