Cost of living comparison
compared to
Mexico City vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Mexico City is 32.1% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 33.0% less in Mexico City
- Groceries
-
pay 23.7% less in Mexico City
- Transportation
-
pay 33.2% less in Mexico City
- Housing
-
pay 54.4% less in Mexico City
- Childcare
-
pay 61.0% less in Mexico City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 33.0% less in Mexico City
- Clothing
-
pay 13.5% more in Mexico City
Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Mexico City.
Mexico City vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Mexico City instead of United States, you would:
pay 33.0% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$10.86
MX$198.62
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$8.82
MX$161.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$1.73
MX$31.68
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.30
MX$23.86
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of restaurants
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pay 23.7% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$2.63
MX$48.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$5.04
MX$92.21
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$6.54
MX$119.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$2.61
MX$47.69
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$3.80
MX$69.61
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.37
MX$25.05
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.80
MX$14.63
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$0.97
MX$17.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$0.91
MX$16.58
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.96
MX$17.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.99
MX$18.19
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of groceries
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pay 33.2% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$5.14
MX$93.99
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$19.54
MX$357.52
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$20,030.45
MX$366,457.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$4.42
MX$80.95
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of transportation
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pay 54.4% less for housing
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$30.93
MX$565.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$1,079.15
MX$19,743.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$677.25
MX$12,390.21
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$37.36
MX$683.53
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of housing
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pay 61.0% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$430.39
MX$7,873.93
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$10,897.53
MX$199,370.32
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of childcare
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pay 33.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$3.26
MX$59.59
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$3.81
MX$69.77
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$4.34
MX$79.45
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$58.44
MX$1,069.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$6.51
MX$119.17
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 13.5% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Mexico City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$60.95
MX$1,114.99
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$48.08
MX$879.56
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$105.72
MX$1,934.15
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$110.91
MX$2,029.10
|
|
United States vs. Mexico City - Cost of clothing
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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: November 2025
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cost of living in United States vs. Mexico.
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