Cost of living in Mexico

Summary of cost of living in Mexico

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 42,917
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: Mex$ 21,313
  • Mexico is the 2nd cheapest country in Latin America (16 out of 17)
  • Cost of living in Mexico is cheaper than in 94% of countries in the World (85 out of 90)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district Mex$ 167
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) Mex$ 108
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast Mex$ 56
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk Mex$ 20
12 eggs, large Mex$ 32
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes Mex$ 23
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$ 22
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality Mex$ 217
2 liters of coca-cola Mex$ 28
Bread for 2 people for 1 day Mex$ 20
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area Mex$ 19,117
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area Mex$ 8,887
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat Mex$ 1,221
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area Mex$ 10,999
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area Mex$ 5,720
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio Mex$ 887
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) Mex$ 383
40” flat screen tv Mex$ 7,503
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 1,974
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) Mex$ 100
Hourly rate for cleaning help Mex$ 86
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$ 628
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 1,519
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes Mex$ 1,193
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new Mex$ 323,468
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas Mex$ 20
Monthly ticket public transport Mex$ 501
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) Mex$ 79
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) Mex$ 204
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) Mex$ 548
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) Mex$ 69
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) Mex$ 49
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) Mex$ 56
4 rolls of toilet paper Mex$ 29
Tube of toothpaste Mex$ 29
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city Mex$ 188
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub Mex$ 349
2 tickets to the movies Mex$ 140
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) Mex$ 944
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert Mex$ 659
1 cocktail drink in downtown club Mex$ 111
Cappuccino in expat area of the city Mex$ 59
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) Mex$ 40
Ipad wi-fi 128gb Mex$ 9,914
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) Mex$ 1.79
1 month of gym membership in business district Mex$ 884
1 package of marlboro cigarettes Mex$ 57

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 85
2nd Nezahualcóyotl 82
3rd Manzanillo, Colima 82
4th Tijuana 80
5th Cancún 75
6th Queretaro 75
7th Mexico City 74
8th Zapopan 74
9th Playa del Carmen 73
10th Guadalajara 73
11th Villahermosa 73
12th San Luis Potosí 70
13th Saltillo 68
14th Puerto Vallarta 67
15th Chihuahua 66
16th Toluca 65
17th Mérida 64
18th Hermosillo 64
19th Pachuca 63
20th Veracruz 63
21st Aguascalientes 61
22nd Cuernavaca 61
23rd Mazatlán 61
24th Oaxaca 60
25th Ensenada 60
26th Poza Rica de Hidalgo 58
27th Culiacán 54
28th Chilpancingo 49

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

  • 12 eggs, large in Mérida costs Mex$ 29 (2 days ago)
  • Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Nezahualcóyotl costs Mex$ 6,000 (3 days ago)
  • 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 60 (4 days ago)
  • 1 month of gym membership in business district in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 500 (4 days ago)
  • 500 ml beer in neighbourhood pub in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 30 (4 days ago)
  • Cocktail drink in downtown club in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 100 (4 days ago)
  • 2 tickets to the movies in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 160 (4 days ago)
  • Basic dinner out in neighborhood pub, dinner for two in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 500 (4 days ago)
  • Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 150 (4 days ago)
  • 40ml deodorant, roll-on in Nuevo Laredo costs Mex$ 50 (4 days ago)