Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,772 in Zagreb versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Zagreb $1,772
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,619 in Zagreb versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Zagreb $2,619
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Zagreb versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Zagreb $3,467
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Zagreb is roughly 10% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zagreb 30% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.06

$10.62 MX$198

16.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.4

$48.35 MX$900

32.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.19

$10.35 MX$193

-22.61%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.24

$3.69 MX$68.7

-32.25%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$1.67 MX$31.03

85.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.27 MX$23.56

106.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.19 MX$59.4

7.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.04

$5.31 MX$98.8

-15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.72 MX$32.11

-26.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$3.04 MX$56.6

-47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$1.94 MX$36.14

38.14%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.54

$2.89 MX$53.8

36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.08

$10.97 MX$204

32.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.29

$9.25 MX$172

24.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.56

$15.13 MX$282

14.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$3.05 MX$56.8

-24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.94 MX$36.14

-14.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.03 MX$37.70

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.31 MX$43.09

10.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.04 MX$37.88

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.80 MX$33.51

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.48 MX$27.54

-19.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.27 MX$23.60

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.45

$5.30 MX$98.7

14.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.93

$16.10 MX$300

-31.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.98 MX$36.92

-14.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$4.25 MX$79.2

-42.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.31 MX$5.68

83.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.75

$19.73 MX$367

169.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.84 MX$34.21

18.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.53 MX$9.93

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.11

$5.30 MX$98.6

133.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.51 MX$28.12

25.83%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$21.8K MX$405.0K

28.37%

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

$26.0K €23.3K

$24.0K MX$446.5K

8.45%

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

$215 €193

$63.0 MX$1,172

241.28%

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

$22.34 €20.04

$27.39 MX$510

-18.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.74

$35.67 MX$664

8.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.64

$58.9 MX$1,097

-17.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €16.99

$23.64 MX$440

-19.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.33

$6.40 MX$119

62.66%

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

$499 €448

$432 MX$8,035

15.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,719

$11.4K MX$212.7K

-14.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.4

$68.2 MX$1,270

59.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.88

$53.1 MX$989

-20.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.7

$108 MX$2,006

-5.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.1

$117 MX$2,183

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €797

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €613

$710 MX$13.2K

-3.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,317

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-43.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €957

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-24.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,732

$3,631 MX$67.6K

45.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,292

$2,135 MX$39.7K

71.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,771

$946 MX$17.6K

108.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.35

-70.93%

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

Last update for Zagreb: 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

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 4% $27

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 1.9% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 54.3% $150

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 1.5% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 4.7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 60.7% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $888 in Zagreb and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Zagreb vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $314 vs $320, with Zagreb cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

7 h behind Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.62 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zagreb Mexico City 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

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

Zagreb and Mexico City differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,772 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Zagreb is about 2.1 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: $888 in Zagreb versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $499 in Zagreb versus $432 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 Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $64 in Zagreb. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Zagreb on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.