Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tampico and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tampico: $1,304 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Tampico
Learn more

Tampico Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,304

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,304 in Tampico versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Tampico $1,304
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,065 in Tampico versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Tampico $2,065
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,825 in Tampico versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Tampico $2,825
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Tampico costs roughly 19% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tampico is 4% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 MX$155

$10.62 MX$199

-22.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 MX$1,014

$48.35 MX$908

11.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.58 MX$180

$10.35 MX$194

-7.44%

Cappuccino

$2.97 MX$55.8

$3.69 MX$69.3

-19.51%

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

$1.19 MX$22.41

$1.67 MX$31.29

-28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.81

$1.27 MX$23.76

-33.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MX$83.3

$3.19 MX$59.9

38.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 MX$90.0

$5.31 MX$99.6

-9.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$27.26

$1.72 MX$32.38

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 MX$74.8

$3.04 MX$57.1

30.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.81

$1.94 MX$36.44

-29.38%

Eggs

$3.98 MX$74.7

$2.89 MX$54.2

37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 MX$92.8

$10.97 MX$206

-54.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 MX$183

$9.25 MX$174

5.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 MX$242

$15.13 MX$284

-14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 MX$64.0

$3.05 MX$57.2

11.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 MX$20.58

$1.94 MX$36.45

-43.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.68

$2.03 MX$38.02

-0.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 MX$40.91

$2.31 MX$43.46

-5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.27

$2.04 MX$38.21

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 MX$50.5

$1.80 MX$33.79

49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 MX$39.12

$1.48 MX$27.77

40.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 MX$16.27

$1.27 MX$23.80

-31.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$87.8

$5.30 MX$99.6

-11.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 MX$28.69

$1.98 MX$37.23

-22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 MX$14.04

$0.31 MX$5.73

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.24 MX$511

$19.73 MX$371

38.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 MX$49.71

$1.84 MX$34.50

44.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 MX$50.2

$0.53 MX$10.02

405.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 MX$95.7

$5.30 MX$99.4

-3.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 MX$25.95

$1.51 MX$28.36

-8.61%

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

$32.1K MX$602.2K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

47.46%

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

$23.9K MX$448.9K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

-0.30%

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

$102 MX$1,914

$63.0 MX$1,182

61.89%

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

$27.25 MX$512

$27.39 MX$514

-0.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.53 MX$442

$35.67 MX$670

-34.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.28 MX$813

$58.9 MX$1,107

-26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 MX$306

$23.64 MX$444

-31.18%

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 MX$102

$6.40 MX$120

-15.47%

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

$269 MX$5,055

$432 MX$8,103

-37.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,934 MX$148.9K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-30.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 MX$1,379

$68.2 MX$1,281

7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 MX$1,236

$53.1 MX$997

23.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 MX$3,014

$108 MX$2,023

48.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$239 MX$4,488

$117 MX$2,202

103.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 MX$9,536

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 MX$7,129

$710 MX$13.3K

-46.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 MX$17.5K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-64.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 MX$12.4K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-52.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$539 MX$10.1K

$946 MX$17.8K

-43.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Tampico: 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

Tampico

$380 29.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 87.1% $331

Groceries & Markets

Tampico

$258 * 19.8%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 23.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Tampico

$243 18.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 35.7% $87

Eating Out

Tampico

$171 13.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 16.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tampico

$153 11.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 17.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Tampico

$54 4.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 32.6% $18

Getting Around

Tampico

$46 3.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 45% $21

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 $508 in Tampico and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $54 in Tampico vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $320, with Tampico cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tampico

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

Same time as Tampico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,562

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tampico Mexico City 340 km

From you

Tampico
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,304 in Tampico and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Tampico is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Tampico. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $508 in Tampico 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 28% less than in Tampico. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $269 in Tampico versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tampico 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 – Tampico wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.