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: $1,170 in Toluca versus $1,467 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,881 in Toluca versus $2,371 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,592 in Toluca versus $3,274 in Mexico City.

Living in Toluca costs roughly 20% less than in Mexico City, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toluca is 13% below, Mexico City is 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.99 MX$157

$13.18 MX$230

-31.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.08 MX$752

$53.9 MX$941

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 MX$137

$9.42 MX$165

-16.56%

Cappuccino

$2.90 MX$50.6

$3.55 MX$62.0

-18.31%

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

$1.16 MX$20.31

$1.62 MX$28.25

-28.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 MX$15.16

$1.11 MX$19.46

-21.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 MX$36.65

$3.12 MX$54.5

-32.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 MX$60.5

$4.63 MX$80.9

-25.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 MX$24.97

$1.70 MX$29.71

-15.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 MX$59.3

$2.72 MX$47.47

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 MX$34.07

$1.91 MX$33.39

2.09%

Eggs

$2.54 MX$44.41

$2.54 MX$44.29

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.81 MX$101

$10.03 MX$175

-42.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 MX$177

$8.09 MX$141

25.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 MX$206

$11.62 MX$203

1.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 MX$73.9

$2.97 MX$51.8

42.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MX$29.68

$1.81 MX$31.55

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$33.98

$2.01 MX$35.16

-2.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$39.86

$2.03 MX$35.54

12.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 MX$42.13

$2.12 MX$37.10

13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 MX$39.96

$2.27 MX$39.63

0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 MX$31.87

$1.40 MX$24.45

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 MX$17.01

$1.13 MX$19.74

-14.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.96 MX$86.7

$4.27 MX$74.6

16.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 MX$235

$15.56 MX$272

-13.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$33.21

$1.76 MX$30.68

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MX$58.7

$3.60 MX$62.8

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$11.40

$0.38 MX$6.69

71.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.18 MX$335

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 MX$54.9

$1.38 MX$24.03

127.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 MX$38.36

$0.28 MX$4.83

685.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 MX$138

$5.45 MX$95.1

44.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 MX$22.00

$1.30 MX$22.77

-3.08%

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

$28.2K MX$493.3K

$18.7K MX$326.4K

51.15%

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

$28.0K MX$489.6K

$23.1K MX$404.0K

21.19%

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

$46.91 MX$819

$40.86 MX$714

14.81%

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

$21.61 MX$377

$26.81 MX$468

-19.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.03 MX$612

$29.96 MX$523

16.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 MX$897

$52.0 MX$908

-1.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.78 MX$398

$26.84 MX$469

-15.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 MX$121

$6.30 MX$110

9.52%

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

$170 MX$2,977

$436 MX$7,617

-60.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 MX$87.1K

$10.4K MX$181.9K

-52.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$960

$56.7 MX$989

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.3 MX$1,054

$44.38 MX$775

35.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,635

$103 MX$1,798

-9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 MX$1,784

$106 MX$1,843

-3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 MX$11.5K

$1,022 MX$17.8K

-35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,538

$631 MX$11.0K

-40.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 MX$16.2K

$2,136 MX$37.3K

-56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 MX$13.1K

$1,243 MX$21.7K

-39.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,396 MX$24.4K

$3,903 MX$68.2K

-64.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$977 MX$17.1K

$2,064 MX$36.1K

-52.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 MX$23.5K

$1,115 MX$19.5K

20.61%

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: May 30, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Toluca and $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toluca pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Toluca vs $54.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $288, 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 25% in total monthly costs ($1,170 vs $1,467 including rent). Toluca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Toluca pays 21% 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: $660 in Toluca versus $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $170 in Toluca versus $436 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 $43.00 versus $54.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,170 in Toluca versus $1,467 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 25% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.