Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiva and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiva and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,220 in Thiva versus $1,466 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,957 in Thiva versus $2,325 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,695 in Thiva versus $3,184 in Mexico City.

Living in Thiva costs roughly 17% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thiva is 9% below, Mexico City is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.50 €11.52

$13.30 MX$231

1.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 €48.96

$53.8 MX$932

6.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 €6.04

$9.42 MX$163

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.18

$3.59 MX$62.3

-28.97%

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

$1.68 €1.43

$1.62 MX$28.13

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.43

$1.12 MX$19.49

-55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.77 €4.07

$3.25 MX$56.3

46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.40

$4.65 MX$80.6

-39.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.32

$1.64 MX$28.37

-6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.34

$2.65 MX$46.00

-40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 €1.80

$1.96 MX$33.99

7.65%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.60

$2.54 MX$44.08

66.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 €11.57

$9.97 MX$173

36.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 €8.36

$8.39 MX$145

16.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 €11.15

$11.83 MX$205

10.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 €1.51

$2.86 MX$49.62

-38.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.61

$1.73 MX$30.05

9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 €0.96

$1.99 MX$34.50

-43.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.59

$2.05 MX$35.51

-8.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 €0.84

$2.06 MX$35.64

-52.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.05

$2.28 MX$39.54

-46.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 €0.81

$1.45 MX$25.05

-35.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 €0.38

$1.09 MX$18.83

-58.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 €4.26

$4.27 MX$73.9

16.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 €5.65

$14.67 MX$254

-54.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.43

$1.76 MX$30.58

-5.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.66

$3.57 MX$61.8

-45.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.20

$0.38 MX$6.67

271.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 €40.25

$18.73 MX$325

151.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.17

$1.39 MX$24.09

167.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.26

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.75 €11.73

$5.41 MX$93.8

154.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.83

$1.34 MX$23.22

60.45%

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

$31.2K €26.6K

$18.9K MX$326.7K

65.35%

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

$29.8K €25.4K

$23.2K MX$402.0K

28.29%

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

$187 €160

$40.30 MX$698

365.04%

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

$23.82 €20.32

$27.15 MX$471

-12.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.43 €26.81

$29.46 MX$510

6.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.74 €42.43

$52.7 MX$914

-5.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €22.08

$26.17 MX$454

-1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 €6.72

$6.18 MX$107

27.51%

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

$348 €297

$441 MX$7,637

-20.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,528 €4,715

$10.7K MX$185.4K

-48.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.8 €44.22

$57.2 MX$992

-9.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.00 €29.85

$45.04 MX$781

-22.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 €80.6

$103 MX$1,793

-8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 €80.8

$109 MX$1,884

-12.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 €301

$1,000 MX$17.3K

-64.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 €248

$632 MX$11.0K

-53.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 €653

$2,141 MX$37.1K

-64.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 €534

$1,253 MX$21.7K

-50.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,839 €1,568

$3,745 MX$64.9K

-50.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,485 €1,267

$2,381 MX$41.3K

-37.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 €858

$1,079 MX$18.7K

-6.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.34

11.34

-61.73%

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

Last update for Thiva: April 21, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $353 in Thiva and $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 7% 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: $57 in Thiva vs $54 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $259 vs $286, with Thiva cheaper for home cooking.

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

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

Thiva and Mexico City differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,220 vs $1,466 including rent). Thiva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Mexico City earns 7% less. 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: $353 in Thiva versus $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Thiva runs roughly 152% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $348 in Thiva versus $441 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,220 in Thiva versus $1,466 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thiva but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Thiva 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.

Safety-wise, Thiva and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Thiva gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.