Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between University Place, WA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,876 in University Place, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in University Place, WA
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University Place, WA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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University Place, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,876

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,876 in University Place, WA versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

University Place, WA $2,876
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,279 in University Place, WA versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

University Place, WA $4,279
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,682 in University Place, WA versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

University Place, WA $5,682
Mexico City $3,537

Living in University Place, WA is roughly 72% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: University Place, WA 113% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.38 $23.38

$10.59 MX$198

120.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$52.0 MX$972

93.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$10.73 MX$201

13.23%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$3.80 MX$71.0

60.00%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.61 MX$30.16

93.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.21 MX$22.67

159.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$3.18 MX$59.4

149.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 $7.86

$5.44 MX$102

44.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.72 MX$32.13

-36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.97 MX$55.5

36.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$1.93 MX$36.02

208.29%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$2.77 MX$51.9

79.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.11 $16.11

$11.67 MX$218

38.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.19 $18.19

$9.48 MX$177

91.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.33 $23.33

$15.37 MX$288

51.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.91 $5.91

$3.10 MX$58.1

90.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.96 MX$36.67

-9.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$1.98 MX$37.07

180.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.34 MX$43.68

91.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.02 MX$37.85

72.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.82 MX$34.13

54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.54 MX$28.89

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.31 MX$24.54

133.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.43 $12.43

$5.35 MX$100

132.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.17 $18.17

$16.19 MX$303

12.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.96 MX$36.64

-10.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.35 MX$81.4

13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.30 MX$5.70

610.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 $65.8

$19.49 MX$365

237.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.92 MX$35.86

38.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.47 MX$8.84

261.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 $30.49

$5.41 MX$101

463.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.48 MX$27.75

-2.03%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$21.4K MX$399.7K

30.55%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.8K MX$444.3K

11.52%

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

$233 $233

$62.0 MX$1,160

275.90%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$28.47 MX$533

141.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.6 $88.6

$34.11 MX$638

159.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.56 $39.56

$58.4 MX$1,092

-32.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$17.88 $17.88

$6.59 MX$123

171.32%

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

$2,087 $2,087

$434 MX$8,122

380.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$14.0K MX$262.5K

98.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 $60.3

$68.4 MX$1,278

-11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.90 $44.90

$54.8 MX$1,025

-18.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 $130

$111 MX$2,073

17.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$116 MX$2,169

9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 $1,573

$1,179 MX$22.1K

33.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$771 MX$14.4K

66.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,599 $2,599

$2,570 MX$48.1K

1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,420 MX$26.6K

48.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,918 $2,918

$3,586 MX$67.1K

-18.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,644 $2,644

$2,064 MX$38.6K

28.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,149 $8,149

$1,003 MX$18.8K

712.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.35

-41.50%

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

Last update for University Place, WA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

University Place, WA

$1.3K 44.5%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 39.8% $509

Groceries & Markets

University Place, WA

$505 17.6%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 35.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

University Place, WA

$390 13.6%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 68.1% $266

Eating Out

University Place, WA

$377 13.1%

Mexico City

$201 12% 46.8% $176

Clothing & Footwear

University Place, WA

$163 5.7%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 3.4% $5.6

Getting Around

University Place, WA

$85 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 70.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

University Place, WA

$75 2.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 5% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,573 in University Place, WA and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

University Place, WA pays about 8.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in University Place, WA vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $505 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 University Place, WA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

2 h ahead of University Place, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,866

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

University Place, WA Mexico City 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

University Place, WA
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

University Place, WA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,876 in University Place, WA and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in University Place, WA is about 8.1 times higher, 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: $1,573 in University Place, WA versus $1,179 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 70% less than in University Place, WA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,087 in University Place, WA versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in University Place, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.