Cost of living in Mexico

Summary of cost of living in Mexico

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 44,081
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 21,360
  • Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 63% of countries in Latin America (10 out of 16)
  • Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 78% of countries in the World (60 out of 77)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district Mex$ 217
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) Mex$ 120
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast Mex$ 55
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk Mex$ 21
12 eggs, large Mex$ 35
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes Mex$ 25
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese Mex$ 73
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples Mex$ 40
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes Mex$ 24
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket Mex$ 24
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality Mex$ 232
2 liters of coca-cola Mex$ 30
Bread for 2 people for 1 day Mex$ 21
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area Mex$ 18,963
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area Mex$ 8,629
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat Mex$ 1,028
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area Mex$ 10,061
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area Mex$ 5,160
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio Mex$ 730
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) Mex$ 379
40” flat screen tv Mex$ 6,882
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 2,061
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) Mex$ 99
Hourly rate for cleaning help Mex$ 91
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) Mex$ 839
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) Mex$ 651
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 1,510
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes Mex$ 1,117
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new Mex$ 347,300
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas Mex$ 19
Monthly ticket public transport Mex$ 535
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 82
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) Mex$ 183
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) Mex$ 519
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) Mex$ 80
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) Mex$ 50
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) Mex$ 55
4 rolls of toilet paper Mex$ 30
Tube of toothpaste Mex$ 29
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city Mex$ 189
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub Mex$ 305
2 tickets to the movies Mex$ 150
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) Mex$ 846
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert Mex$ 683
1 cocktail drink in downtown club Mex$ 125
Cappuccino in expat area of the city Mex$ 71
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) Mex$ 39
Ipad wi-fi 128gb Mex$ 10,288
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) Mex$ 2.62
1 month of gym membership in business district Mex$ 975
1 package of marlboro cigarettes Mex$ 62

Map of Cost of Living in Mexico

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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 Monterrey 87
2nd Nezahualcóyotl 84
3rd Mexico City 83
4th Tijuana 82
5th Zapopan 79
6th Queretaro 78
7th Cancún 78
8th Guadalajara 77
9th Tapachula 75
10th Playa del Carmen 75
11th Puebla 75
12th Villahermosa 74
13th San Luis Potosí 73
14th Saltillo 72
15th Puerto Vallarta 72
16th Patzcuaro 71
17th Cuernavaca 69
18th Toluca 69
19th Chihuahua 68
20th Hermosillo 67
21st Mérida 66
22nd Oaxaca 65
23rd Mazatlán 65
24th Ensenada 63
25th Veracruz 63
26th Tampico 61
27th Pachuca 61
28th Culiacán 61
29th Aguascalientes 61
30th Chilpancingo 50

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

Acapulco Aguascalientes Cabo San Lucas
Campeche Cancún Celaya
Chapala-Ajijic, Jalisco Chihuahua Chilpancingo
Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Lopez Mateos Ciudad Obregón
Ciudad Victoria Cuautitlán Izcalli Cuernavaca
Culiacán Durango Ecatepec de Morelos
Ensenada Guadalajara Guadalupe
Guanajuato Hermosillo Irapuato
La Paz León Loreto
Los Cabos Los Mochis Manzanillo, Colima
Matamoros Mazatlán Mexicali
Mexico City Minatitlan Monclova
Monterrey Morelia Mérida
Naucalpan Nezahualcóyotl Nogales
Nuevo Laredo Oaxaca Pachuca
Patzcuaro Playa del Carmen Poza Rica de Hidalgo
Puebla Puerto Vallarta Queretaro
Reynosa Saltillo San Cristobal de las Casas
San Jose del Cabo San Luis Potosí San Miguel de Allende
San Nicolás de los Garza Tampico Tapachula
Tehuacán Tepic Tijuana
Tlalnepantla Tlaquepaque Toluca
Torreón Tuxtla Gutiérrez Uruapan
Veracruz Villahermosa Xalapa
Zapopan

Prices recently added

  • Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in expensive area in Ecatepec de Morelos costs Mex$ 3,000 (1 day ago)
  • Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Cancún costs Mex$ 4,500 (1 day ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Guadalajara costs Mex$ 450 (1 day ago)
  • Internet connection 300 mbps, 1 month in Monterrey costs Mex$ 1,000 (2 days ago)
  • 2 liters of coca-cola in Mexico City costs Mex$ 32 (2 days ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Monterrey costs Mex$ 23 (3 days ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Monterrey costs Mex$ 20 (3 days ago)
  • Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Morelia costs Mex$ 9,500 (3 days ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Guadalajara costs Mex$ 500 (3 days ago)
  • 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Guadalajara costs Mex$ 35 (3 days ago)