Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waipahu, HI and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,234 in Waipahu, HI, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Waipahu, HI
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Waipahu, HI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Waipahu, HI

🇺🇸 United States

$3,234

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,234 in Waipahu, HI versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Waipahu, HI $3,234
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,991 in Waipahu, HI versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Waipahu, HI $4,991
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,748 in Waipahu, HI versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Waipahu, HI $6,748
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Waipahu, HI is roughly 101% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waipahu, HI 138% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.50 $27.50

$10.62 MX$197

158.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$141 $141

$48.35 MX$898

191.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.92 $14.92

$10.35 MX$192

44.15%

Cappuccino

$10.38 $10.38

$3.69 MX$68.5

181.30%

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

$4.95 $4.95

$1.67 MX$30.95

196.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.27 MX$23.50

174.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.59 $10.59

$3.19 MX$59.3

231.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.61 $11.61

$5.31 MX$98.6

118.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.72 MX$32.03

-40.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.04 MX$56.5

18.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$9.96 $9.96

$1.94 MX$36.05

413.40%

Eggs

$7.47 $7.47

$2.89 MX$53.6

158.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$10.97 MX$204

13.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.02 $20.02

$9.25 MX$172

116.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.86 $21.86

$15.13 MX$281

44.48%

Apples (1kg)

$8.11 $8.11

$3.05 MX$56.6

165.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.94 MX$36.05

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.03 MX$37.61

250.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.73 $9.73

$2.31 MX$42.99

321.21%

Potato (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$2.04 MX$37.79

138.24%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.80 MX$33.43

170.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.48 MX$27.47

255.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.27 MX$23.54

148.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 $10.18

$5.30 MX$98.5

92.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 $18.20

$16.10 MX$299

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.98 MX$36.83

35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 $5.61

$4.25 MX$79.0

32.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.31 MX$5.67

561.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.5 $60.5

$19.73 MX$367

206.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.84 MX$34.13

86.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 $2.68

$0.53 MX$9.91

405.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.50 $44.50

$5.30 MX$98.3

739.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.51 MX$28.05

-5.30%

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

$35.6K $35.6K

$21.8K MX$404.0K

63.80%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.0K MX$445.4K

8.83%

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

$257 $257

$63.0 MX$1,170

307.35%

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

$67.1 $67.1

$27.39 MX$509

145.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.6 $65.6

$35.67 MX$662

83.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.68 $43.68

$58.9 MX$1,095

-25.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$19.66 $19.66

$6.40 MX$119

207.19%

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

$2,167 $2,167

$432 MX$8,015

402.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.7K $26.7K

$11.4K MX$212.1K

133.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.60 $44.60

$68.2 MX$1,267

-34.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.71 $40.71

$53.1 MX$987

-23.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.5 $86.5

$108 MX$2,002

-19.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$117 MX$2,178

11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 $1,614

$1,113 MX$20.7K

44.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,451 $1,451

$710 MX$13.2K

104.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,815 $2,815

$2,588 MX$48.1K

8.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,590 $2,590

$1,406 MX$26.1K

84.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,631 MX$67.4K

-11.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 $2,502

$2,135 MX$39.6K

17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.35

-40.97%

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

Last update for Waipahu, HI: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waipahu, HI

$1.5K 44.9%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 51% $740

Groceries & Markets

Waipahu, HI

$590 18.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 45.9% $271

Eating Out

Waipahu, HI

$499 15.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 60.2% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waipahu, HI

$389 12%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 67.6% $263

Clothing & Footwear

Waipahu, HI

$136 4.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 14.5% $20

Getting Around

Waipahu, HI

$86 2.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 70.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Waipahu, HI

$83 2.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 13.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,614 in Waipahu, HI and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $141 in Waipahu, HI vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $590 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waipahu, HI

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

4 h ahead of Waipahu, HI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,894

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Waipahu, HI Mexico City 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Waipahu, HI
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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

Waipahu, HI vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,234 in Waipahu, HI and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,852 in Waipahu, HI and $2,412 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,614 in Waipahu, HI versus $1,113 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 67% less than in Waipahu, HI. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,167 in Waipahu, HI versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,234 in Waipahu, HI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Waipahu, HI. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Waipahu, HI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.