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

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,162 in Toluca versus $1,481 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,878 in Toluca versus $2,352 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,594 in Toluca versus $3,222 in Mexico City.

Living in Toluca costs roughly 22% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 13% below, Mexico City is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.35 MX$163

$13.16 MX$229

-28.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 MX$734

$53.6 MX$932

-21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 MX$135

$9.55 MX$166

-18.95%

Cappuccino

$2.93 MX$51.0

$3.72 MX$64.8

-21.24%

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

$1.14 MX$19.87

$1.57 MX$27.28

-27.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 MX$14.08

$1.16 MX$20.12

-30.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 MX$37.70

$3.18 MX$55.4

-31.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 MX$58.3

$4.63 MX$80.6

-27.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$23.68

$1.71 MX$29.67

-20.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 MX$58.6

$2.62 MX$45.54

28.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$33.52

$1.89 MX$32.87

2.12%

Eggs

$2.66 MX$46.23

$2.60 MX$45.17

2.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 MX$101

$9.91 MX$172

-41.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 MX$170

$8.22 MX$143

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 MX$207

$11.78 MX$205

1.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 MX$72.3

$3.00 MX$52.1

38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 MX$29.96

$1.80 MX$31.32

-4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$35.13

$2.07 MX$36.08

-2.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 MX$38.87

$1.97 MX$34.23

13.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 MX$43.22

$2.07 MX$36.05

19.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 MX$41.56

$2.17 MX$37.84

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 MX$32.74

$1.40 MX$24.41

34.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$17.02

$1.07 MX$18.70

-8.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$83.6

$4.12 MX$71.7

16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 MX$225

$17.42 MX$303

-25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$34.01

$1.68 MX$29.16

16.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 MX$59.1

$3.65 MX$63.5

-6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$10.54

$0.38 MX$6.62

60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.71 MX$326

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 MX$56.2

$1.33 MX$23.13

142.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$39.35

$0.30 MX$5.27

653.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 MX$139

$5.51 MX$95.9

44.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 MX$21.75

$1.31 MX$22.72

-4.58%

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

$28.1K MX$489.4K

$19.2K MX$333.5K

46.73%

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

$28.3K MX$492.5K

$23.7K MX$413.3K

19.18%

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

$47.16 MX$821

$41.14 MX$716

14.63%

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

$21.30 MX$371

$27.74 MX$483

-23.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.91 MX$590

$30.13 MX$524

12.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 MX$882

$53.7 MX$935

-5.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.64 MX$394

$25.98 MX$452

-12.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.72 MX$117

$6.49 MX$113

3.54%

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

$169 MX$2,936

$437 MX$7,598

-61.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,076 MX$88.3K

$10.5K MX$182.0K

-51.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MX$952

$58.3 MX$1,015

-6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 MX$1,073

$45.86 MX$798

34.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 MX$1,638

$101 MX$1,765

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 MX$1,785

$107 MX$1,854

-3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$644 MX$11.2K

$1,005 MX$17.5K

-35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,509

$634 MX$11.0K

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 MX$16.5K

$2,148 MX$37.4K

-55.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 MX$12.9K

$1,247 MX$21.7K

-40.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,347 MX$23.4K

$3,859 MX$67.2K

-65.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$950 MX$16.5K

$2,085 MX$36.3K

-54.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,316 MX$22.9K

$1,072 MX$18.7K

22.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

11.34

-1.94%

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

Last update for Toluca: July 21, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: July 22, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $644 in Toluca and $1,005 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Toluca vs $54.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $291, with Mexico City 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

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

Toluca and Mexico City differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,162 vs $1,481 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 23% higher in Toluca, 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: $644 in Toluca versus $1,005 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $169 in Toluca versus $437 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 Toluca – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,162 in Toluca versus $1,481 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Toluca but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Toluca 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 Toluca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.