Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Westminster, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,605 in Westminster, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Westminster, CA
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Westminster, CA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Westminster, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,605

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,605 in Westminster, CA versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Westminster, CA $2,605
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Westminster, CA versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Westminster, CA $3,759
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,914 in Westminster, CA versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Westminster, CA $4,914
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Westminster, CA is roughly 62% 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: Westminster, CA 91% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.02 $25.02

$10.62 MX$199

135.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 $76.7

$48.35 MX$907

58.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.63 $11.63

$10.35 MX$194

12.37%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.69 MX$69.2

51.49%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.67 MX$31.25

64.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.27 MX$23.73

59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 $7.41

$3.19 MX$59.9

132.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.52 $9.52

$5.31 MX$99.5

79.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.72 MX$32.34

-33.14%

White Bread (500g)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.04 MX$57.0

74.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$1.94 MX$36.40

126.29%

Eggs

$5.04 $5.04

$2.89 MX$54.1

74.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 $12.29

$10.97 MX$206

12.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 $8.99

$9.25 MX$173

-2.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 $13.77

$15.13 MX$284

-8.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.05 MX$57.2

58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.94 MX$36.40

-7.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.03 MX$37.98

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.31 MX$43.40

145.45%

Potato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.04 MX$38.16

79.90%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.80 MX$33.75

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.48 MX$27.74

39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.27 MX$23.77

73.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.99 $11.99

$5.30 MX$99.4

126.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$16.10 MX$302

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.98 MX$37.19

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$4.25 MX$79.7

-26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.31 MX$5.72

577.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.0 $57.0

$19.73 MX$370

189.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 $4.44

$1.84 MX$34.45

141.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.53 MX$10.00

245.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.13 $36.13

$5.30 MX$99.3

581.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.51 MX$28.32

5.30%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$21.8K MX$407.9K

29.08%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.0K MX$449.7K

10.71%

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

$215 $215

$63.0 MX$1,181

241.12%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$27.39 MX$514

159.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$35.67 MX$669

95.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.50 $38.50

$58.9 MX$1,105

-34.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$443

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 $11.93

$6.40 MX$120

86.41%

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

$1,173 $1,173

$432 MX$8,092

171.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$11.4K MX$214.2K

274.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.4 $74.4

$68.2 MX$1,279

9.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.05 $48.05

$53.1 MX$996

-9.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$108 MX$2,021

-1.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$117 MX$2,199

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 $1,380

$1,113 MX$20.9K

23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 $1,181

$710 MX$13.3K

66.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,858 $2,858

$2,588 MX$48.5K

10.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$1,406 MX$26.4K

27.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,548 $2,548

$3,631 MX$68.1K

-29.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,259 $2,259

$2,135 MX$40.0K

5.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,454 $4,454

$946 MX$17.7K

370.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

11.35

-44.41%

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

Last update for Westminster, CA: 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

Westminster, CA

$1.2K 45.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 39.8% $471

Groceries & Markets

Westminster, CA

$401 15.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 20.4% $82

Eating Out

Westminster, CA

$377 14.5%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 47.4% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Westminster, CA

$356 13.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 64.6% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Westminster, CA

$149 5.7%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.9% $7.3

Getting Around

Westminster, CA

$79 3%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 67.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Westminster, CA

$62 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 15% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,380 in Westminster, CA and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Westminster, CA pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Westminster, CA vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $401 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Westminster, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h ahead of Westminster, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,945

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Westminster, CA Mexico City 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Westminster, CA
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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

Westminster, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,605 in Westminster, CA and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Westminster, CA is about 4.7 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: $1,380 in Westminster, CA 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 65% less than in Westminster, CA. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,173 in Westminster, CA versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 38% less than in Westminster, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.