Cost of living in Mexico

Summary of cost of living in Mexico

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 51,228
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 24,938
  • Cost of living in Mexico is more expensive than in 69% of countries in Latin America (6 out of 16)
  • Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 63% of countries in the World (44 out of 70)
Change the currency:
Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district Mex$ 287
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) Mex$ 157
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast Mex$ 73
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk Mex$ 27
12 eggs, large Mex$ 47
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes Mex$ 28
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese Mex$ 92
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples Mex$ 49
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes Mex$ 35
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket Mex$ 29
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality Mex$ 259
2 liters of coca-cola Mex$ 34
Bread for 2 people for 1 day Mex$ 25
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area Mex$ 21,533
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area Mex$ 10,591
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat Mex$ 1,077
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area Mex$ 12,979
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area Mex$ 7,076
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio Mex$ 803
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) Mex$ 418
40” flat screen tv Mex$ 6,690
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 2,628
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) Mex$ 117
Hourly rate for cleaning help Mex$ 120
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) Mex$ 975
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) Mex$ 697
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 1,719
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes Mex$ 1,270
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new Mex$ 388,303
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas Mex$ 23
Monthly ticket public transport Mex$ 644
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 89
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) Mex$ 217
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) Mex$ 640
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) Mex$ 97
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) Mex$ 57
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) Mex$ 71
4 rolls of toilet paper Mex$ 34
Tube of toothpaste Mex$ 33
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city Mex$ 230
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub Mex$ 360
2 tickets to the movies Mex$ 155
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) Mex$ 822
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert Mex$ 767
1 cocktail drink in downtown club Mex$ 171
Cappuccino in expat area of the city Mex$ 80
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) Mex$ 46
Ipad wi-fi 128gb Mex$ 11,693
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) Mex$ 2.29
1 month of gym membership in business district Mex$ 889
1 package of marlboro cigarettes Mex$ 82

Moving to Mexico with your children?

International Schools in Mexico

Map of Cost of Living in Mexico

loading...

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 Tijuana 103
2nd Monterrey 95
3rd Mexico City 89
4th Puerto Vallarta 87
5th Mérida 80
6th Saltillo 80
7th Hermosillo 78
8th Guadalajara 78
9th Playa del Carmen 75
10th Queretaro 74
11th León, Mexico 74
12th Ensenada 74
13th Ciudad Juárez 74
14th Cuernavaca 70
15th Culiacán 69
16th Tampico 66

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:

Prices recently added

  • Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Mexico City costs Mex$ 800 (about 20 hours ago)
  • Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Queretaro costs Mex$ 250 (1 day ago)
  • 40ml deodorant, roll-on in Queretaro costs Mex$ 28 (1 day ago)
  • Short visit to private doctor in Queretaro costs Mex$ 300 (1 day ago)
  • Per hour of waiting of taxi fare per waiting time, weekday at noon in Queretaro costs Mex$ 120 (1 day ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Queretaro costs Mex$ 23 (1 day ago)
  • 1 liter of whole fat milk in Queretaro costs Mex$ 34 (1 day ago)
  • 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Queretaro costs Mex$ 70 (1 day ago)
  • Furnished accommodation in normal area, monthly rent - 85 m2 in Queretaro costs Mex$ 5,000 (1 day ago)
  • 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Mexico City costs Mex$ 80 (2 days ago)

Make a different comparison:

Compare cost of living between cities:
vs