Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,916 in Washington, DC, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

188

Cost of Living Index in Washington, DC
Learn more

Washington, DC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,916

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,916 in Washington, DC versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Washington, DC $3,916
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,027 in Washington, DC versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Washington, DC $6,027
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,138 in Washington, DC versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Washington, DC $8,138
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Washington, DC is roughly 144% 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: Washington, DC 188% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.10 $25.10

$10.62 MX$199

136.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 $109

$48.35 MX$908

125.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 $11.77

$10.35 MX$194

13.72%

Cappuccino

$5.96 $5.96

$3.69 MX$69.3

61.52%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.67 MX$31.29

94.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.27 MX$23.76

107.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.16 $9.16

$3.19 MX$59.9

187.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$5.31 MX$99.6

86.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.72 MX$32.38

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.04 MX$57.1

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.11 $7.11

$1.94 MX$36.44

266.49%

Eggs

$5.57 $5.57

$2.89 MX$54.2

92.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 $16.91

$10.97 MX$206

54.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.11 $17.11

$9.25 MX$174

84.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.48 $18.48

$15.13 MX$284

22.14%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.05 MX$57.2

133.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.94 MX$36.45

17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.03 MX$38.02

145.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.31 MX$43.46

158.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.04 MX$38.21

37.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.80 MX$33.79

116.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.48 MX$27.77

80.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.27 MX$23.80

108.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 $13.78

$5.30 MX$99.6

160.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.26 $16.26

$16.10 MX$302

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.98 MX$37.23

68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.25 MX$79.8

36.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.31 MX$5.73

864.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 $118

$19.73 MX$371

496.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.84 MX$34.50

114.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.53 MX$10.02

201.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.78 $24.78

$5.30 MX$99.4

367.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.51 MX$28.36

-27.15%

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

$35.1K $35.1K

$21.8K MX$408.4K

61.41%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.0K MX$450.3K

6.78%

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

$207 $207

$63.0 MX$1,182

228.52%

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

$80.6 $80.6

$27.39 MX$514

194.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.7 $76.7

$35.67 MX$670

115.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 $102

$58.9 MX$1,107

73.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$72.8 $72.8

$23.64 MX$444

207.87%

Cinema Ticket

$17.93 $17.93

$6.40 MX$120

180.16%

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

$2,990 $2,990

$432 MX$8,103

592.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.0K $42.0K

$11.4K MX$214.5K

267.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 $72.8

$68.2 MX$1,281

6.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 $44.32

$53.1 MX$997

-16.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$108 MX$2,023

-4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$117 MX$2,202

5.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,768 $2,768

$1,113 MX$20.9K

148.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$710 MX$13.3K

210.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,965 $4,965

$2,588 MX$48.6K

91.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,186 $4,186

$1,406 MX$26.4K

197.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,626 $7,626

$3,631 MX$68.2K

110.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,793 $3,793

$2,135 MX$40.1K

77.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,454 $6,454

$946 MX$17.8K

582.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.35

-41.59%

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

Last update for Washington, DC: 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

Washington, DC

$2.2K 56.3%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 67.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Washington, DC

$516 13.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 38.1% $197

Eating Out

Washington, DC

$397 10.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 49.9% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Washington, DC

$364 9.3%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 65.4% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Washington, DC

$154 3.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 1% $1.5

Getting Around

Washington, DC

$142 3.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 82% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Washington, DC

$138 3.5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 48.1% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,768 in Washington, DC and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Washington, DC pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $109 in Washington, DC vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Washington, DC

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h behind Washington, DC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 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 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Washington, DC Mexico City 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Washington, DC
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

Washington, DC vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,916 in Washington, DC and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Washington, DC is about 6.8 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: $2,768 in Washington, DC 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 83% less than in Washington, DC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,990 in Washington, DC 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 $3,916 in Washington, DC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Washington, DC. 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 59% less than in Washington, DC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.