Cost of living in Mexico

Summary of cost of living in Mexico

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 52,754
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 26,072
  • Cost of living in Mexico is more expensive than in 75% of countries in Latin America (5 out of 16)
  • Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 59% of countries in the World (39 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district Mex$ 307
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) Mex$ 160
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast Mex$ 70
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk Mex$ 28
12 eggs, large Mex$ 47
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes Mex$ 30
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese Mex$ 94
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples Mex$ 50
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes Mex$ 35
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket Mex$ 30
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality Mex$ 280
2 liters of coca-cola Mex$ 36
Bread for 2 people for 1 day Mex$ 25
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area Mex$ 22,547
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area Mex$ 11,524
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat Mex$ 1,261
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area Mex$ 13,624
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area Mex$ 7,661
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio Mex$ 888
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) Mex$ 432
40” flat screen tv Mex$ 6,272
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 2,714
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) Mex$ 115
Hourly rate for cleaning help Mex$ 119
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) Mex$ 979
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) Mex$ 692
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 1,751
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes Mex$ 1,375
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new Mex$ 375,809
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas Mex$ 23
Monthly ticket public transport Mex$ 583
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 93
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) Mex$ 218
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) Mex$ 696
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) Mex$ 79
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) Mex$ 63
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) Mex$ 69
4 rolls of toilet paper Mex$ 35
Tube of toothpaste Mex$ 34
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city Mex$ 260
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub Mex$ 396
2 tickets to the movies Mex$ 164
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) Mex$ 829
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert Mex$ 904
1 cocktail drink in downtown club Mex$ 179
Cappuccino in expat area of the city Mex$ 81
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) Mex$ 49
Ipad wi-fi 128gb Mex$ 11,173
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) Mex$ 2.44
1 month of gym membership in business district Mex$ 888
1 package of marlboro cigarettes Mex$ 74

Moving to Mexico with your children?

International Schools in Mexico

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 Tijuana 108
2nd Mexico City 96
3rd Cancún 96
4th Monterrey 96
5th Puerto Vallarta 96
6th Queretaro 89
7th Mérida 86
8th Saltillo 85
9th Chihuahua 85
10th Playa del Carmen 85
11th Guadalajara 84
12th Hermosillo 83
13th Ciudad Juárez 81
14th León, Mexico 81
15th Cuernavaca 76
16th Culiacán 73
17th Tampico 70
18th Pachuca 68

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.

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Prices recently added

  • 1 kg of tomatoes in San Luis Potosí costs Mex$ 142 (1 day ago)
  • 1 liter of gasoline in Chihuahua costs Mex$ 23 (1 day ago)
  • 1 liter of whole fat milk in Toluca costs Mex$ 32 (2 days ago)
  • 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Tijuana costs Mex$ 50 (2 days ago)
  • Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Tijuana costs Mex$ 80 (2 days ago)
  • Cocktail drink in downtown club in Tijuana costs Mex$ 150 (2 days ago)
  • Nice dinner at an italian restaurant, dinner for two in Tijuana costs Mex$ 1,000 (2 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) in Tijuana costs Mex$ 1,400 (2 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the movies in Tijuana costs Mex$ 180 (2 days ago)
  • Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Tijuana costs Mex$ 600 (2 days ago)

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