Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yala and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $895 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Yala versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Yala $895
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,487 in Yala versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Yala $1,487
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,079 in Yala versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Yala $2,079
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Yala costs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yala is 34% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.51 ฿50.3

$11.02 MX$204

-86.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.70 ฿825

$48.68 MX$900

-49.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 ฿225

$10.90 MX$201

-38.26%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿64.0

$3.68 MX$68.1

-47.83%

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

$0.56 ฿18.76

$1.63 MX$30.18

-65.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ฿5.42

$1.25 MX$23.07

-87.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 ฿63.4

$3.25 MX$60.1

-41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.53 MX$102

-40.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ฿51.3

$1.70 MX$31.50

-9.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ฿40.90

$3.02 MX$55.8

-59.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.51

$1.92 MX$35.53

-30.73%

Eggs

$1.79 ฿59.7

$2.73 MX$50.5

-34.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.29 ฿611

$11.77 MX$218

55.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.96 ฿98.8

$9.53 MX$176

-68.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 ฿309

$14.41 MX$266

-35.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.02 MX$55.8

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ฿37.97

$1.89 MX$35.01

-39.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 ฿69.7

$1.99 MX$36.70

5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.19 MX$40.38

-10.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.3

$1.92 MX$35.43

-18.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.44

$1.87 MX$34.49

-48.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 ฿39.17

$1.44 MX$26.62

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.62

$1.27 MX$23.39

-58.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 ฿163

$5.22 MX$96.4

-6.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.33 ฿546

$16.17 MX$299

0.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ฿54.8

$1.90 MX$35.03

-13.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 ฿86.2

$4.22 MX$78.0

-38.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ฿20.44

$0.34 MX$6.30

79.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 ฿37.42

$2.00 MX$36.90

-44.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 ฿43.70

$0.52 MX$9.67

151.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 ฿215

$5.34 MX$98.7

20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ฿47.43

$1.52 MX$28.13

-6.58%

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

$26.5K ฿887.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

20.23%

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

$26.5K ฿887.1K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

8.30%

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

$85.4 ฿2,853

$61.1 MX$1,129

39.79%

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

$11.99 ฿401

$28.58 MX$528

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.46 ฿650

$34.47 MX$637

-43.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.07 ฿1,473

$56.4 MX$1,042

-21.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.69 ฿458

$24.88 MX$460

-44.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ฿222

$6.66 MX$123

-0.45%

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

$589 ฿19.7K

$427 MX$7,891

37.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿376.2K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-3.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.88 ฿1,533

$67.8 MX$1,253

-32.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 ฿1,079

$52.0 MX$960

-37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 ฿2,592

$106 MX$1,959

-26.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 ฿2,704

$113 MX$2,080

-28.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ฿15.9K

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-53.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ฿9,662

$654 MX$12.1K

-55.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 ฿39.1K

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-49.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 ฿25.4K

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-38.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,762 ฿58.9K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-51.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,405 ฿46.9K

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-27.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.3

-50.71%

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

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yala

$289 32.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 126% $365

Groceries & Markets

Yala

$241 26.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 31.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yala

$117 13.1%

Mexico City

$124 8% 6.2% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Yala

$106 11.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 43% $46

Eating Out

Yala

$74 8.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 175% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Yala

$57 6.4%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 21.6% $12

Getting Around

Yala

$10 * 1.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 154% $16

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 $475 in Yala and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Yala vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $318 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Yala

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

04:50 4:50 AM

13 h behind Yala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,617

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yala Mexico City 16,360 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Yala
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

Yala vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yala and Mexico City differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $1,548 including rent). Yala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,343 in Yala and $2,322 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: $475 in Yala versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $589 in Yala versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $895 in Yala versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yala but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Yala 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.

Safety-wise, Yala and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Yala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.