Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $4,278 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

205

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,278

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,278 in Waltham, MA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Waltham, MA $4,278
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,563 in Waltham, MA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Waltham, MA $6,563
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,848 in Waltham, MA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Waltham, MA $8,848
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Waltham, MA is roughly 166% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waltham, MA 214% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.85 $24.85

$10.62 MX$200

133.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 $96.5

$48.35 MX$909

99.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.02 $12.02

$10.35 MX$194

16.14%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$3.69 MX$69.4

40.11%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.67 MX$31.32

76.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.27 MX$23.78

73.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.19 MX$60.0

57.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$5.31 MX$99.7

51.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.72 MX$32.41

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.04 MX$57.1

28.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.94 MX$36.48

176.80%

Eggs

$4.89 $4.89

$2.89 MX$54.3

69.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$10.97 MX$206

0.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.25 MX$174

53.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 $17.36

$15.13 MX$284

14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.66 $6.66

$3.05 MX$57.3

118.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.94 MX$36.48

-10.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.03 MX$38.06

169.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.31 MX$43.50

144.59%

Potato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$2.04 MX$38.25

121.57%

Onion (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.80 MX$33.83

123.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.48 MX$27.80

101.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.27 MX$23.82

131.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.30 $13.30

$5.30 MX$99.7

150.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.60 $13.60

$16.10 MX$303

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.98 MX$37.27

6.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.25 MX$79.9

-3.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.8 $58.8

$19.73 MX$371

198.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.84 MX$34.53

44.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.53 MX$10.03

224.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.47 $28.47

$5.30 MX$99.5

437.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.51 MX$28.39

-30.46%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

24.09%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

8.85%

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

$324 $324

$63.0 MX$1,184

413.83%

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

$54.6 $54.6

$27.39 MX$515

99.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.2 $86.2

$35.67 MX$670

141.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$252 $252

$58.9 MX$1,108

327.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$14.65 $14.65

$6.40 MX$120

128.91%

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

$1,806 $1,806

$432 MX$8,111

318.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$11.4K MX$214.7K

164.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 $56.9

$68.2 MX$1,282

-16.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 $37.57

$53.1 MX$999

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$108 MX$2,026

-24.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$117 MX$2,204

-15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,497 $2,497

$1,113 MX$20.9K

124.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$710 MX$13.4K

255.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,433 $5,433

$2,588 MX$48.6K

109.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,088 $5,088

$1,406 MX$26.4K

261.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,449 $5,449

$946 MX$17.8K

475.91%

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 Waltham, MA: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 59%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 71.9% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$464 10.9%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 72.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$455 10.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 29.8% $136

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$359 8.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 44.7% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$281 6.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 74.5% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$124 2.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 26.2% $32

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$70 * 1.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63.7% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,497 in Waltham, MA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waltham, MA pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $96 in Waltham, MA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $455 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

05:11 5:11 AM

1 h behind Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Waltham, MA Mexico City 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,278 in Waltham, MA and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 62% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Waltham, MA is about 5.8 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: $2,497 in Waltham, MA 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 66% less than in Waltham, MA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,806 in Waltham, MA 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 $4,278 in Waltham, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Waltham, MA. 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 62% less than in Waltham, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.