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: $1,250 in Thiva versus $1,447 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,012 in Thiva versus $2,310 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,775 in Thiva versus $3,174 in Mexico City.

Living in Thiva costs roughly 14% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thiva is 7% below, Mexico City is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.23 €11.47

$12.98 MX$227

1.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €49.22

$52.6 MX$918

7.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 €5.86

$9.43 MX$165

-28.31%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.22

$3.57 MX$62.3

-28.29%

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

$1.70 €1.47

$1.61 MX$28.02

5.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$1.15 MX$20.14

-53.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €3.90

$3.15 MX$55.0

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.53

$4.86 MX$84.8

-39.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.32

$1.70 MX$29.66

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 €1.36

$2.64 MX$45.99

-40.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.91

$1.90 MX$33.22

15.79%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.47

$2.54 MX$44.35

57.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.75 €11.92

$10.08 MX$176

36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.03 €8.69

$8.29 MX$145

20.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 €11.28

$11.57 MX$202

12.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 €1.49

$3.03 MX$52.8

-43.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 €1.63

$1.71 MX$29.85

9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 €0.94

$2.05 MX$35.76

-46.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.63

$2.06 MX$35.95

-8.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.86

$2.06 MX$36.03

-51.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 €1.11

$2.17 MX$37.87

-41.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.81

$1.40 MX$24.49

-33.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 €0.42

$1.12 MX$19.58

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 €4.16

$4.29 MX$74.9

11.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 €5.40

$15.41 MX$269

-59.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.45

$1.67 MX$29.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.73

$3.69 MX$64.3

-45.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.17

$0.38 MX$6.66

255.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.07 €39.93

$19.06 MX$333

141.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 €3.21

$1.38 MX$24.10

168.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 €11.96

$5.42 MX$94.5

154.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.83

$1.28 MX$22.35

64.84%

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

$30.9K €26.8K

$19.0K MX$331.3K

63.04%

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

$29.2K €25.3K

$23.5K MX$409.5K

24.32%

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

$186 €161

$41.02 MX$716

353.05%

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

$23.54 €20.40

$26.92 MX$470

-12.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.64 €27.43

$29.69 MX$518

6.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.20 €42.64

$52.3 MX$913

-5.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 €22.99

$26.23 MX$458

1.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 €7.23

$6.18 MX$108

34.95%

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

$345 €299

$427 MX$7,454

-19.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,550 €4,810

$10.7K MX$186.7K

-48.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 €45.98

$56.8 MX$992

-6.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 €29.82

$44.83 MX$782

-23.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 €81.9

$105 MX$1,824

-9.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 €82.9

$106 MX$1,849

-9.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 €296

$995 MX$17.4K

-65.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 €253

$621 MX$10.8K

-53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 €665

$2,126 MX$37.1K

-63.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 €542

$1,254 MX$21.9K

-50.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,812 €1,571

$3,903 MX$68.1K

-53.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,463 €1,268

$2,096 MX$36.6K

-30.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 €1,020

$1,107 MX$19.3K

6.26%

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: June 8, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $341 in Thiva and $995 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thiva pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $57.0 in Thiva vs $53.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $260 vs $288, 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 16% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $1,447 including rent). Thiva is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Thiva pays 6% more on average, 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: $341 in Thiva versus $995 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 142% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $345 in Thiva versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,250 in Thiva versus $1,447 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 16% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.