Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Mexico instead of California, you would:

Health

live 6.7 years less

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Mexico, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 44.9% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.8% as of 2023.

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make 73.3% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $22,400 as of 2023.

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be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In California, 11.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Mexico, however, that number is 36.3% as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 17.9% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Mexico, about 76.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: California vs. Mexico
Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Mexico is 45.4% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 4.9 times smaller than Mexico.
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Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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How big is Mexico compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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