Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tokyo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,663 in Tokyo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Tokyo $1,663
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,592 in Tokyo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Tokyo $2,592
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,521 in Tokyo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Tokyo $3,521
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Tokyo is roughly 6% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tokyo 23% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$10.75 MX$199

-30.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$50.3 MX$929

-25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$11.10 MX$205

-55.86%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$3.68 MX$68.1

-1.63%

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

$1.66 ¥262

$1.65 MX$30.42

0.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$1.30 MX$24.08

-35.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$3.32 MX$61.3

11.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$5.54 MX$102

-5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.77 MX$32.68

-15.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$3.05 MX$56.4

-42.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$2.01 MX$37.20

180.10%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$2.77 MX$51.1

-20.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$11.91 MX$220

-6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$9.33 MX$172

-26.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$15.02 MX$278

10.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$3.08 MX$56.8

55.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.95 MX$35.97

14.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.03 MX$37.54

107.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$2.21 MX$40.92

135.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.02 MX$37.41

62.87%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$1.82 MX$33.67

67.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.52 MX$28.07

-21.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$1.28 MX$23.65

-36.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$5.27 MX$97.4

-25.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$16.12 MX$298

-40.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.95 MX$36.05

-16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$4.25 MX$78.6

-36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.31 MX$5.82

303.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$19.85 MX$367

221.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$2.00 MX$36.93

56.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$0.53 MX$9.86

505.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$5.62 MX$104

230.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.52 MX$28.07

-30.92%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

2.45%

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

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-39.79%

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

$149 ¥23.5K

$62.5 MX$1,155

137.65%

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

$21.59 ¥3,412

$28.77 MX$532

-24.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$34.45 MX$637

-11.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$57.1 MX$1,055

16.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$24.81 MX$458

3.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$6.67 MX$123

90.10%

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

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$431 MX$7,964

213.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

52.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$70.8 MX$1,308

-20.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$51.8 MX$958

-36.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$109 MX$2,011

-40.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$112 MX$2,076

-37.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

19.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$665 MX$12.3K

5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

6.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$3,554 MX$65.7K

165.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

114.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$975 MX$18.0K

207.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

11.3

-80.09%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 0.7% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Mexico City

$126 8% 37.4% $75

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Mexico City

$203 13% 29.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 53.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 23.5% $22

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 70.7% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,253 in Tokyo and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tokyo pays 208% 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: $37.00 in Tokyo vs $50.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $325 vs $323, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

09:52 9:52 AM

15 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tokyo Mexico City 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

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

Tokyo and Mexico City differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,663 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 208% higher in Tokyo, 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: $1,253 in Tokyo versus $1,051 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 222% less than in Tokyo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,350 in Tokyo versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,663 in Tokyo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Tokyo. 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.

Safety-wise, Tokyo 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Tokyo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.