Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Mexico

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Mexico actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,462 in the United Kingdom versus $1,274 in Mexico.

United Kingdom $2,462
Mexico $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,600 in the United Kingdom versus $2,010 in Mexico.

United Kingdom $3,600
Mexico $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,738 in the United Kingdom versus $2,746 in Mexico.

United Kingdom $4,738
Mexico $2,746

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $730–$2,625 in Mexico. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in the United Kingdom is roughly 93% more expensive than in Mexico on average.

The United Kingdom (81% above) and Mexico (6% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$10.63 MX$200

102.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$43.29 MX$813

98.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$8.94 MX$168

18.68%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$3.61 MX$67.7

36.01%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.48 MX$27.70

79.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.00 MX$18.77

87.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.67 MX$50.0

148.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$4.37 MX$82.0

56.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.59 MX$29.76

5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$2.67 MX$50.2

-35.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.68 MX$31.57

29.17%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$2.52 MX$47.38

58.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$8.79 MX$165

7.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$7.97 MX$150

15.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$11.50 MX$216

28.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.76 MX$51.7

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.52 MX$28.61

6.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.95 MX$36.70

46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$1.97 MX$36.93

78.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.96 MX$36.84

-6.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.03 MX$38.08

-20.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.43 MX$26.90

-12.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.14 MX$21.39

45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$4.52 MX$84.9

423.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$10.87 MX$204

-3.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.77 MX$33.14

68.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$3.19 MX$59.9

10.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.62 MX$11.64

541.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$29.85 MX$560

259.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$2.66 MX$49.97

94.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$2.72 MX$51.0

-13.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$10.63 MX$200

152.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.40 MX$26.24

42.14%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$24.0K MX$450.0K

64.58%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$23.9K MX$449.0K

69.28%

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

$327 £244

$69.2 MX$1,299

372.94%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$23.51 MX$441

-22.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$29.00 MX$544

50.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$34.74 MX$652

21.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$17.46 MX$328

4.35%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$5.24 MX$98.5

164.31%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$261 MX$4,892

616.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$5,999 MX$112.6K

277.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$55.8 MX$1,048

66.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$41.58 MX$781

10.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$96.3 MX$1,809

5.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$90.1 MX$1,691

13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$713 MX$13.4K

88.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$477 MX$8,954

125.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$1,358 MX$25.5K

64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$906 MX$17.0K

92.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$2,597 MX$48.7K

115.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$1,565 MX$29.4K

172.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$773 MX$14.5K

333.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

11.43

-53.46%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Mexico

$477 37.4% 55.6% $596

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Mexico

$122 9.6% 68.7% $267

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Mexico

$187 14.7% 42.9% $140

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Mexico

$267 21% 13.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Mexico

$128 10% 17.2% $26

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Mexico

$49 3.8% 65.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Mexico

$45 3.6% 35.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,287 in the United Kingdom, $624 in Mexico. Capital cities: $2,811 in London vs $1,113 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $722 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 106% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 93% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 226% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 4.5 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

6 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

124,777,324

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Mexico 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Mexico

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

United Kingdom vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,274 per month in Mexico and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Mexico comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Mexico: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $624 in Mexico. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mexico, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in the United Kingdom it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Mexico wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.