Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $2,785 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,561
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: The United States is 36.2% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 78.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: The United States is 35.9% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 56% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.22 $20.22
$11.12 MX$204
81.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.1 $81.1
$48.99 MX$900
65.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.12 $12.12
$11.23 MX$206
7.93%
Cappuccino
$5.36 $5.36
$3.76 MX$69.0
42.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$1.65 MX$30.34
67.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 $2.09
$1.28 MX$23.48
63.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.84 $5.84
$3.26 MX$59.8
79.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.92 $7.92
$5.66 MX$104
39.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.81 MX$33.23
-42.54%
White Bread (500g)
$3.56 $3.56
$2.94 MX$54.0
21.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.69 $4.69
$2.05 MX$37.62
128.78%
Eggs
$4.43 $4.43
$2.93 MX$53.7
51.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.91 $12.91
$11.95 MX$219
8.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.20 $12.20
$9.51 MX$175
28.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.00 $17.00
$14.84 MX$273
14.56%
Apples (1kg)
$5.31 $5.31
$3.14 MX$57.7
69.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 $1.67
$2.01 MX$36.99
-16.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 $4.49
$2.08 MX$38.10
115.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.05 $5.05
$2.22 MX$40.72
127.48%
Potato (1kg)
$2.83 $2.83
$2.06 MX$37.82
37.38%
Onion (1kg)
$3.00 $3.00
$1.88 MX$34.46
59.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.28 $2.28
$1.48 MX$27.18
54.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.35 MX$24.70
68.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.33 $10.33
$5.41 MX$99.3
90.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.72 $14.72
$16.86 MX$310
-12.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$1.98 MX$36.43
3.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 $3.66
$4.32 MX$79.4
-15.28%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 $2.33
$0.34 MX$6.33
585.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.1 $65.1
$20.23 MX$371
221.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.60 $3.60
$2.10 MX$38.47
71.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 $1.90
$0.53 MX$9.74
258.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.81 $29.81
$5.41 MX$99.3
451.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.03 $1.03
$1.52 MX$27.91
-32.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K $35.1K
$21.7K MX$399.0K
61.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K $26.3K
$24.8K MX$455.6K
5.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 $216
$63.0 MX$1,156
243.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.3 $62.3
$28.88 MX$530
115.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.6 $74.6
$33.93 MX$623
119.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.70 $44.70
$55.8 MX$1,024
-19.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.55 $22.55
$24.90 MX$457
-9.44%
Cinema Ticket
$15.19 $15.19
$6.77 MX$124
124.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,440 $1,440
$428 MX$7,854
236.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.2K $25.2K
$11.9K MX$218.0K
112.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 $53.7
$70.0 MX$1,286
-23.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.44 $42.44
$53.7 MX$986
-21.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 $93.4
$110 MX$2,016
-14.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 $115
$115 MX$2,115
-0.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,622 $1,622
$1,062 MX$19.5K
52.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,357 $1,357
$671 MX$12.3K
102.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,681 $2,681
$2,379 MX$43.7K
12.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,170 $2,170
$1,260 MX$23.1K
72.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,294 $3,294
$3,716 MX$68.2K
-11.34%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,674 $2,674
$1,976 MX$36.3K
35.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,242 $4,242
$997 MX$18.3K
325.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
11.3
-42.04%

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

Last update for the United States: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United States
$1.4K
Mexico City
$671 50.6% $686
Groceries & Markets
United States
$411
Mexico City
$327 20.4% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
$353
Mexico City
$126 64.4% $227
Eating Out
United States
$327
Mexico City
$207 36.7% $120
Clothing & Footwear
United States
$137
Mexico City
$157 14.5% $20
Getting Around
United States
$87
Mexico City
$26 69.9% $61
Sport & Entertainment
United States
$75
Mexico City
$69 7.7% $5.8
Good to know
🇺🇸 United States
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
02:51 2:51 AM
00:51 12:51 AM
2 h behind the United States
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,110,988
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • United States Mexico City 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • United States
  • 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

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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