Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taos, NM and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,740 in Taos, NM, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Taos, NM
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Taos, NM Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Taos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,740

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Taos, NM versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Taos, NM $2,740
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,135 in Taos, NM versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Taos, NM $4,135
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,529 in Taos, NM versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Taos, NM $5,529
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Taos, NM is roughly 77% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Taos, NM 102% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 $16.77

$11.02 MX$204

52.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 $68.1

$48.68 MX$900

39.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 $9.53

$10.90 MX$201

-12.57%

Cappuccino

$4.04 $4.04

$3.68 MX$68.1

9.78%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$1.63 MX$30.18

36.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.25 MX$23.07

81.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 $4.87

$3.25 MX$60.1

49.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$5.53 MX$102

2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.70 MX$31.50

-47.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.02 MX$55.8

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$1.92 MX$35.53

127.60%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.73 MX$50.5

43.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 $11.65

$11.77 MX$218

-1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$9.53 MX$176

-1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.11 $11.11

$14.41 MX$266

-22.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.02 MX$55.8

53.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.89 MX$35.01

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.99 MX$36.70

115.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.19 MX$40.38

136.99%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.92 MX$35.43

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.87 MX$34.49

79.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.44 MX$26.62

43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.27 MX$23.39

101.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$5.22 MX$96.4

106.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 $14.21

$16.17 MX$299

-12.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.90 MX$35.03

32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 $3.17

$4.22 MX$78.0

-24.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.00 MX$36.90

84.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.52 MX$9.67

290.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$5.34 MX$98.7

508.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.52 MX$28.13

-38.82%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

35.46%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

5.00%

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

$159 $159

$61.1 MX$1,129

160.36%

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

$63.9 $63.9

$28.58 MX$528

123.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 $63.0

$34.47 MX$637

82.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.5 $95.5

$56.4 MX$1,042

69.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$9.10 $9.10

$6.66 MX$123

36.64%

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

$1,471 $1,471

$427 MX$7,891

244.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K $25.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

115.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$67.8 MX$1,253

-18.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.99 $43.99

$52.0 MX$960

-15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$106 MX$1,959

-2.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$113 MX$2,080

4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 $1,775

$1,025 MX$18.9K

73.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 $1,553

$654 MX$12.1K

137.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,580 $3,580

$2,308 MX$42.7K

55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,903 $2,903

$1,242 MX$22.9K

133.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 $3,784

$3,613 MX$66.8K

4.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,780 $3,780

$1,936 MX$35.8K

95.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,698 $2,698

$964 MX$17.8K

179.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

11.3

-44.25%

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

Last update for Taos, NM: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taos, NM

$1.6K 56.7%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 57.9% $899

Groceries & Markets

Taos, NM

$365 13.3%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 12.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taos, NM

$286 10.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 56.6% $162

Eating Out

Taos, NM

$265 9.7%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 23% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Taos, NM

$144 5.3%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 5.9% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Taos, NM

$114 4.2%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 38.7% $44

Getting Around

Taos, NM

$14 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 85.1% $12

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 $1,775 in Taos, NM and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taos, NM pays 180% 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: $68.0 in Taos, NM vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Taos, NM

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

Same time as Taos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Taos, NM Mexico City 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Taos, NM
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

Taos, NM vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taos, NM and Mexico City differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($2,740 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 180% higher in Taos, NM, 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: $1,775 in Taos, NM versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,471 in Taos, NM versus $427 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 $49.00 versus $68.0 in Taos, NM. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,740 in Taos, NM, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Taos, NM. 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 77% less than in Taos, NM. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.