Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepic and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepic: $1,221 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Tepic
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Tepic Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,221

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,221 in Tepic versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Tepic $1,221
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,884 in Tepic versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Tepic $1,884
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in Tepic versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Tepic $2,548
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Tepic costs roughly 24% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tepic is 10% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 MX$246

$10.62 MX$198

24.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.16 MX$803

$48.35 MX$900

-10.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 MX$168

$10.35 MX$193

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.69 MX$68.7

-14.09%

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

$1.58 MX$29.38

$1.67 MX$31.03

-5.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.20

$1.27 MX$23.56

-10.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 MX$50.3

$3.19 MX$59.4

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 MX$92.8

$5.31 MX$98.8

-6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.91

$1.72 MX$32.11

-9.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 MX$43.80

$3.04 MX$56.6

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.31

$1.94 MX$36.14

-19.07%

Eggs

$2.12 MX$39.47

$2.89 MX$53.8

-26.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.91 MX$91.5

$10.97 MX$204

-55.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.69 MX$180

$9.25 MX$172

4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.54 MX$215

$15.13 MX$282

-23.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.84

$3.05 MX$56.8

-12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.66

$1.94 MX$36.14

-20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.07

$2.03 MX$37.70

-4.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.81

$2.31 MX$43.09

-23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.41

$2.04 MX$37.88

0.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.31

$1.80 MX$33.51

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 MX$29.01

$1.48 MX$27.54

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.32

$1.27 MX$23.60

-18.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.2

$5.30 MX$98.7

-17.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 MX$193

$16.10 MX$300

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.45

$1.98 MX$36.92

-60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 MX$62.3

$4.25 MX$79.2

-21.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 MX$14.36

$0.31 MX$5.68

148.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.37 MX$565

$19.73 MX$367

53.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 MX$40.84

$1.84 MX$34.21

19.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 MX$28.12

$0.53 MX$9.93

184.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 MX$173

$5.30 MX$98.6

75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.14

$1.51 MX$28.12

-7.28%

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

$21.2K MX$394.0K

$21.8K MX$405.0K

-2.71%

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

$23.7K MX$441.2K

$24.0K MX$446.5K

-1.19%

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

$43.90 MX$817

$63.0 MX$1,172

-30.30%

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

$12.02 MX$224

$27.39 MX$510

-56.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.28 MX$545

$35.67 MX$664

-17.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.78 MX$592

$58.9 MX$1,097

-46.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.42 MX$324

$23.64 MX$440

-26.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 MX$110

$6.40 MX$119

-7.50%

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

$237 MX$4,410

$432 MX$8,035

-45.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,948 MX$185.2K

$11.4K MX$212.7K

-12.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 MX$1,045

$68.2 MX$1,270

-17.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 MX$749

$53.1 MX$989

-24.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MX$1,936

$108 MX$2,006

-3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 MX$1,463

$117 MX$2,183

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 MX$10.6K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-49.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 MX$8,694

$710 MX$13.2K

-34.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,115 MX$20.8K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-56.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 MX$14.3K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-45.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,934 MX$36.0K

$3,631 MX$67.6K

-46.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 MX$21.0K

$2,135 MX$39.7K

-47.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 MX$12.1K

$946 MX$17.6K

-31.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.53

11.35

1.59%

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

Last update for Tepic: 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

Tepic

$467 38.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 52.1% $243

Groceries & Markets

Tepic

$251 20.5%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 27.4% $69

Eating Out

Tepic

$205 16.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 3.2% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Tepic

$126 10.3%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 24.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tepic

$85 7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 47.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Tepic

$44 3.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 64.5% $28

Getting Around

Tepic

$43 3.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 41.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Tepic and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Tepic vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $320 per month, with Tepic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tepic

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

1 h ahead of Tepic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

371,387

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Tepic Mexico City 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Tepic
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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

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

Tepic and Mexico City differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,221 vs $1,608 including rent). Tepic is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Tepic. 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: $567 in Tepic 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 35% less than in Tepic. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $237 in Tepic 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 Tepic 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 – Tepic wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.