Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zawiya and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $441 in Zawiya versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Zawiya $441
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $686 in Zawiya versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Zawiya $686
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $930 in Zawiya versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Zawiya $930
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Zawiya costs roughly 73% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zawiya is 68% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 LYD 14.74

$10.62 MX$198

-78.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 LYD 99.2

$48.35 MX$901

-68.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 LYD 17.39

$10.35 MX$193

-73.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.82

$3.69 MX$68.8

-88.08%

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

$0.44 LYD 2.84

$1.67 MX$31.07

-73.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 LYD 0.71

$1.27 MX$23.59

-91.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 LYD 5.82

$1.72 MX$32.15

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$3.04 MX$56.7

-93.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 LYD 6.50

$1.94 MX$36.19

-47.94%

Eggs

$1.35 LYD 8.66

$2.89 MX$53.8

-53.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.74 LYD 30.38

$10.97 MX$205

-56.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 LYD 22.88

$9.25 MX$172

-61.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 LYD 56.8

$15.13 MX$282

-41.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 LYD 12.92

$3.05 MX$56.8

-33.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 LYD 9.44

$1.94 MX$36.19

-24.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.49

$2.03 MX$37.75

-65.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 LYD 3.27

$2.31 MX$43.15

-77.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 LYD 3.72

$2.04 MX$37.94

-71.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 LYD 1.64

$1.80 MX$33.55

-85.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$1.48 MX$27.58

-79.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 LYD 1.05

$1.27 MX$23.63

-87.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 LYD 5.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.59

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 LYD 4.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 LYD 10.71

$5.30 MX$98.9

-68.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 LYD 4.76

$0.31 MX$5.69

138.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.22 LYD 251

$19.73 MX$368

98.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 LYD 4.79

$1.84 MX$34.25

-59.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

$0.53 MX$9.94

-15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 LYD 14.80

$5.30 MX$98.7

-56.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.12

$1.51 MX$28.16

-98.68%

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

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

-28.72%

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

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-30.10%

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

$94.4 LYD 605

$63.0 MX$1,174

49.86%

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

$5.57 LYD 35.69

$27.39 MX$511

-79.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.25 LYD 78.5

$35.67 MX$665

-65.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.31 LYD 111

$58.9 MX$1,099

-70.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 LYD 25.70

$23.64 MX$441

-83.04%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 LYD 25.15

$6.40 MX$119

-38.75%

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

$51.5 LYD 330

$432 MX$8,045

-88.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$897 LYD 5,749

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-92.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.81 LYD 133

$68.2 MX$1,272

-69.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 LYD 283

$53.1 MX$990

-16.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.99 LYD 199

$108 MX$2,009

-71.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.62 LYD 203

$117 MX$2,186

-73.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 LYD 570

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-92.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.4 LYD 375

$710 MX$13.2K

-91.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 LYD 1,049

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-93.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 LYD 772

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-91.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$347 LYD 2,227

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-90.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$98.1 LYD 629

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-95.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$251 LYD 1,609

$946 MX$17.6K

-73.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zawiya

$112 25.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 12.3% $14

Groceries & Markets

Zawiya

$109 24.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 194% $211

Accommodation & Living

Zawiya

$58 13.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 1116% $652

Clothing & Footwear

Zawiya

$57 13%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 172% $98

Getting Around

Zawiya

$45 10.2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 43.6% $20

Eating Out

Zawiya

$34 7.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 484% $165

Sport & Entertainment

Zawiya

$25 5.7%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 185% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $89 in Zawiya and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Zawiya vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $109 vs $320 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:08 1:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

8 h behind Zawiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,726

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zawiya Mexico City 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Zawiya
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $441 in Zawiya and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Zawiya is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% lower in Zawiya. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $89 in Zawiya 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 50% less than in Zawiya. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $51 in Zawiya versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $441 in Zawiya versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $800 budget is realistic in Zawiya but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Zawiya 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.

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