Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thousand Oaks, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,977 in Thousand Oaks, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

192

Cost of Living Index in Thousand Oaks, CA
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Thousand Oaks, CA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Thousand Oaks, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,977

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,977 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Thousand Oaks, CA $3,977
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,412 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Thousand Oaks, CA $5,412
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,848 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Thousand Oaks, CA $6,848
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Thousand Oaks, CA is roughly 147% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thousand Oaks, CA 192% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.61 $24.61

$10.62 MX$198

131.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 $98.9

$48.35 MX$901

104.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 $8.87

$10.35 MX$193

-14.30%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.69 MX$68.8

52.57%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.67 MX$31.07

60.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.27 MX$23.59

58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 $8.03

$3.19 MX$59.5

151.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 $9.54

$5.31 MX$98.9

79.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.72 MX$32.15

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$3.04 MX$56.7

36.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.94 MX$36.19

88.66%

Eggs

$4.91 $4.91

$2.89 MX$53.8

69.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 $12.66

$10.97 MX$205

15.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.23 $20.23

$9.25 MX$172

118.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.44 $22.44

$15.13 MX$282

48.31%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$3.05 MX$56.8

77.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.94 MX$36.19

-8.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.03 MX$37.75

142.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.31 MX$43.15

161.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.04 MX$37.94

83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.80 MX$33.55

56.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.48 MX$27.58

14.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 MX$23.63

75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.59 $11.59

$5.30 MX$98.9

118.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.28 $15.28

$16.10 MX$300

-5.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.98 MX$36.97

-15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$4.25 MX$79.3

-64.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.31 MX$5.69

554.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.97 $49.97

$19.73 MX$368

153.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$1.84 MX$34.25

148.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.53 MX$9.94

245.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.47 $36.47

$5.30 MX$98.7

588.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 MX$28.16

-3.31%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

25.08%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

12.01%

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

$158 $158

$63.0 MX$1,174

151.52%

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

$49.40 $49.40

$27.39 MX$511

80.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$35.67 MX$665

93.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$58.9 MX$1,099

-10.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.52 $22.52

$23.64 MX$441

-4.74%

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 $12.18

$6.40 MX$119

90.31%

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

$1,765 $1,765

$432 MX$8,045

308.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.6K $42.6K

$11.4K MX$212.9K

272.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$68.2 MX$1,272

-25.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.52 $30.52

$53.1 MX$990

-42.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 $80.3

$108 MX$2,009

-25.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$117 MX$2,186

1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,915 $2,915

$1,113 MX$20.8K

161.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,581 $2,581

$710 MX$13.2K

263.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,345 $4,345

$2,588 MX$48.2K

67.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,564 $3,564

$1,406 MX$26.2K

153.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,396 $6,396

$3,631 MX$67.7K

76.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,522 $5,522

$2,135 MX$39.8K

158.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,934 $5,934

$946 MX$17.6K

527.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.35

-41.50%

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

Last update for Thousand Oaks, CA: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thousand Oaks, CA

$2.6K 64.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 72.5% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Thousand Oaks, CA

$474 11.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 32.6% $154

Eating Out

Thousand Oaks, CA

$369 9.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 46.2% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thousand Oaks, CA

$277 7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 54.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Thousand Oaks, CA

$126 3.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 23.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Thousand Oaks, CA

$77 2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 7.3% $5.7

Getting Around

Thousand Oaks, CA

$72 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 64.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,915 in Thousand Oaks, CA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thousand Oaks, CA pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Thousand Oaks, CA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $474 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Thousand Oaks, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

13:04 1:04 PM

1 h ahead of Thousand Oaks, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,207

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Thousand Oaks, CA Mexico City 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thousand Oaks, CA
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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

Thousand Oaks, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thousand Oaks, CA and Mexico City differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($3,977 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Thousand Oaks, CA is about 6.3 times higher, 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: $2,915 in Thousand Oaks, CA 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 61% less than in Thousand Oaks, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,765 in Thousand Oaks, CA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,977 in Thousand Oaks, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Thousand Oaks, CA. 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 60% less than in Thousand Oaks, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.