Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tlaxcala and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlaxcala: $758 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Tlaxcala
Learn more

Tlaxcala Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Tlaxcala

🇲🇽 Mexico

$758

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $758 in Tlaxcala versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Tlaxcala $758
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Tlaxcala versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Tlaxcala $1,237
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,717 in Tlaxcala versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Tlaxcala $1,717
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Tlaxcala costs roughly 53% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tlaxcala is 44% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.28 MX$98.8

$10.62 MX$199

-50.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.57 MX$422

$48.35 MX$904

-53.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.41 MX$120

$10.35 MX$193

-38.07%

Cappuccino

$2.82 MX$52.7

$3.69 MX$69.0

-23.58%

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

$1.34 MX$25.07

$1.67 MX$31.14

-19.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.43

$1.27 MX$23.65

-22.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.79

$3.19 MX$59.7

-41.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MX$42.36

$5.31 MX$99.2

-57.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 MX$30.24

$1.72 MX$32.23

-5.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 MX$37.22

$3.04 MX$56.8

-34.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.84

$1.94 MX$36.27

-25.77%

Eggs

$2.26 MX$42.21

$2.89 MX$54.0

-21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 MX$130

$10.97 MX$205

-36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 MX$112

$9.25 MX$173

-35.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 MX$198

$15.13 MX$283

-29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.86

$3.05 MX$57.0

-28.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 MX$21.63

$1.94 MX$36.27

-40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.72

$2.03 MX$37.85

-16.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 MX$22.12

$2.31 MX$43.25

-48.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 MX$16.82

$2.04 MX$38.03

-55.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 MX$19.79

$1.80 MX$33.63

-41.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 MX$15.36

$1.48 MX$27.64

-44.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.22

$1.27 MX$23.69

-10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 MX$81.7

$5.30 MX$99.1

-17.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 MX$176

$16.10 MX$301

-41.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MX$26.95

$1.98 MX$37.06

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 MX$29.06

$4.25 MX$79.5

-63.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 MX$8.27

$0.31 MX$5.70

41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 MX$49.85

$1.84 MX$34.34

45.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 MX$33.04

$0.53 MX$9.97

233.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.55 MX$104

$5.30 MX$99.0

4.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 MX$26.46

$1.51 MX$28.23

-5.96%

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

$23.7K MX$442.1K

$21.8K MX$406.5K

8.75%

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

$25.3K MX$473.7K

$24.0K MX$448.2K

5.69%

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

$32.88 MX$614

$63.0 MX$1,177

-47.79%

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

$19.21 MX$359

$27.39 MX$512

-29.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$634

$35.67 MX$666

-4.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.44 MX$606

$58.9 MX$1,101

-44.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 MX$402

$23.64 MX$442

-9.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.71 MX$88.1

$6.40 MX$120

-26.41%

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

$242 MX$4,523

$432 MX$8,065

-43.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.97 MX$560

$68.2 MX$1,275

-56.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.21 MX$920

$53.1 MX$993

-7.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MX$2,156

$108 MX$2,014

7.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 MX$1,688

$117 MX$2,191

-22.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 MX$4,723

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-77.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 MX$2,900

$710 MX$13.3K

-78.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 MX$9,197

$2,588 MX$48.4K

-80.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 MX$6,646

$1,406 MX$26.3K

-74.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 MX$12.1K

$946 MX$17.7K

-31.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.87

11.35

-4.23%

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

Last update for Tlaxcala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tlaxcala

$215 28.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 48.6% $104

Accommodation & Living

Tlaxcala

$155 20.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 358% $555

Clothing & Footwear

Tlaxcala

$128 16.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 21.6% $28

Eating Out

Tlaxcala

$119 15.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 67.6% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tlaxcala

$86 11.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 46.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Tlaxcala

$42 5.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 71.3% $30

Getting Around

Tlaxcala

$13 * 1.8%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 91.7% $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 $253 in Tlaxcala and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 46% 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: $23 in Tlaxcala vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $320 per month, with Tlaxcala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tlaxcala

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

Same time as Tlaxcala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,555

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tlaxcala Mexico City 95 km

From you

Tlaxcala
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

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

Tlaxcala and Mexico City differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($758 vs $1,608 including rent). Tlaxcala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Tlaxcala. 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: $253 in Tlaxcala versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $242 in Tlaxcala versus $432 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 Tlaxcala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $758 in Tlaxcala versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tlaxcala but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Tlaxcala 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tlaxcala wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.