Cost of living in Mexico
Summary of cost of living in Mexico
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 42,720
- Single person estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 21,257
- Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 75% of countries in Latin America (15 out of 20)
- Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 76% of countries in the World (73 out of 96)
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| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Mex$ 154 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Mex$ 106 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Mex$ 58 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Mex$ 20 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | Mex$ 32 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Mex$ 22 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Mex$ 67 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Mex$ 40 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Mex$ 23 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Mex$ 21 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Mex$ 214 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | Mex$ 28 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Mex$ 19 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Mex$ 19,088 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Mex$ 8,889 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Mex$ 1,265 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Mex$ 10,724 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Mex$ 5,857 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Mex$ 937 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Mex$ 387 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | Mex$ 7,514 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Mex$ 1,954 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Mex$ 101 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | Mex$ 87 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Mex$ 851 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Mex$ 635 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Mex$ 1,509 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Mex$ 1,210 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Mex$ 326,490 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Mex$ 20 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | Mex$ 496 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Mex$ 78 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Mex$ 226 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | Mex$ 549 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Mex$ 68 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Mex$ 49 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Mex$ 59 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | Mex$ 30 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | Mex$ 30 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Mex$ 176 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Mex$ 342 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | Mex$ 140 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Mex$ 922 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Mex$ 662 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Mex$ 109 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Mex$ 59 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Mex$ 41 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Mex$ 9,936 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | Mex$ 1.57 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | Mex$ 851 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Mex$ 55 | ||
Map of Cost of Living in Mexico
This map shows only the top cities in Mexico. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in Mexico
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Manzanillo, Colima | 98 |
| 2nd | Monterrey | 97 |
| 3rd | Nezahualcóyotl | 95 |
| 4th | Tijuana | 92 |
| 5th | Cancún | 91 |
| 6th | Mexico City | 88 |
| 7th | Queretaro | 88 |
| 8th | Zapopan | 86 |
| 9th | Playa del Carmen | 86 |
| 10th | Guadalajara | 86 |
| 11th | Puebla | 85 |
| 12th | Guanajuato | 84 |
| 13th | San Luis Potosí | 80 |
| 14th | Ciudad Juárez | 80 |
| 15th | Puerto Vallarta | 79 |
| 16th | León | 77 |
| 17th | Saltillo | 77 |
| 18th | Chihuahua | 77 |
| 19th | Toluca | 76 |
| 20th | Mexicali | 76 |
| 21st | Mérida | 76 |
| 22nd | Pachuca | 75 |
| 23rd | Hermosillo | 75 |
| 24th | Veracruz | 73 |
| 25th | Aguascalientes | 72 |
| 26th | Cuernavaca | 71 |
| 27th | Ensenada | 71 |
| 28th | Oaxaca | 70 |
| 29th | Mazatlán | 68 |
| 30th | Morelia | 68 |
| 31st | Poza Rica de Hidalgo | 66 |
| 32nd | Culiacán | 64 |
| 33rd | Chilpancingo | 55 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to Mexico? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in Mexico of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in Mexico
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 33% cheaper than in Madrid
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 8% more expensive than in Bogotá
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 38% more expensive than in Buenos Aires
- Cost of living in Puerto Vallarta is 51% cheaper than in Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 14% more expensive than in Medellín
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 14% cheaper than in Santiago
- Cost of living in Mexico City is about the same as in Guadalajara
- Cost of living in Mazatlán is 43% cheaper than in San Antonio, California
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 22% cheaper than in San Jose, Costa Rica
- Cost of living in Queretaro is about the same as in Tegucigalpa
- Cost of living in Toluca is 37% cheaper than in Lisbon
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 34% cheaper than in Tucson, Arizona
- Cost of living in Mexico City is about the same as in Lima
- Cost of living in Tijuana is 50% cheaper than in San Diego, California
- Cost of living in Cancún is 11% cheaper than in Phnom Penh
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 18% cheaper than in São Paulo
- Cost of living in Tijuana is 5% more expensive than in Mexico City
- Cost of living in Monterrey is 35% cheaper than in Milan
- Cost of living in Mexico City is 48% cheaper than in Vancouver
- Cost of living in Mexicali is 52% cheaper than in Phoenix, Arizona
Compare other countries
Prices recently added
- Bread for 2 people for 1 day (250 g) in Mexico City costs Mex$ 30 (about 14 hours ago)
- 500 ml domestic beer in the supermarket in Mexico City costs Mex$ 25 (about 14 hours ago)
- 1 kg of apples in Mexico City costs Mex$ 20 (about 14 hours ago)
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Mexico City costs Mex$ 22 (about 14 hours ago)
- 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Mexico City costs Mex$ 40 (about 14 hours ago)
- Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) in Mexico City costs Mex$ 140 (about 14 hours ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Mexico City costs Mex$ 25,000 (about 14 hours ago)
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in San Luis Potosí costs Mex$ 48 (about 16 hours ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in San Luis Potosí costs Mex$ 800 (about 16 hours ago)
- Ipad wi-fi 128gb in San Luis Potosí costs Mex$ 13,099 (about 16 hours ago)