How Much Does It Cost to Live In Mexico City?
Mexico City is known as one of the more expensive cities in Mexico, which makes sense as this is one of the more popular destinations in Mexico.
Many people prefer staying in places like Santa Fe, La Condesa, or Polanco, but it’s worth noting that these places are pretty expensive.
The cost of living depends on what part of Mexico City you are going to live in, and just like in any other city in the world, there are rich and less rich neighborhoods to live in.
Mexico : Cost of Living by City
Cost of Living in Mexico
RESTAURANTS
Mexico City offers a vast range of restaurants, cheap and expensive, where you can find excellent food!
You can eat tacos for 2$ or go to a fancy restaurant and spend 50$.
Just remember that pricier places don’t mean better flavor and quality!
Street food is excellent and you’ll have a hard time resisting it!
| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $8.28 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $2.76 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $0.79 |
MARKETS
You can find many delicious groceries on the shelves of Mexico City’s markets, so apart from saving some money, you’ll have a chance to make some delicious Mexican meals by yourself.
Groceries, in general, are much cheaper than eating outside, plus you know exactly what you’re eating.
All basic ingredients cost less than 2$, and you can find fresh fruit and veggies on open markets.
| Average Market Prices | |
|---|---|
| Milk (1 Liter) | $1.45 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $2.08 |
| Eggs (12) | $2.15 |
TRANSPORTATION
Mexico City has a huge problem with traffic, and it can take you about two hours to get somewhere.
There are also Uber, taxis, and private cars, though the latter is an expensive option in Mexico.
Metro trains and buses are cheaper – you can travel anywhere for just 0.33$.
A monthly pass for public transport costs only about 18$.
| Average Transport Prices | |
|---|---|
| One Way Ticket | $0.33 |
| Monthly Pass | $17.79 |
| Gasoline | $1.30 |
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Utilities are cheap in Mexico City, but the price of utilities does depend on the size of your apartment.
Generally speaking, if you’re living in an apartment of about 85m2 your utilities including electricity, gas, water, heating and cooling will cost you around 51.32$.
The internet service is fast and costs around 25$.
| Average Utilities Prices | |
|---|---|
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $51.32 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.11 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $29.11 |
SPORTS & LEISURE
Fitness and practicing sports are expensive everywhere and this applies to every city and country, and so it applies to Mexico City, too.
If you want to become a member of a gym or a fitness club, expect it to cost around 50$, though cinema tickets are more expensive than in other Mexican cities: if you want to go to the movies, prepare around 5$ for your ticket.
| Average Leisure Prices | |
|---|---|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $49.98 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $22.50 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $4.97 |
CLOTHING & SHOES
Luckily, at least shopping for clothes and shoes isn’t too expensive: it isn’t cheap either, but at least it’s not through the roof.
You can find quality jeans like Levi’s for only 40$, while a pair of quality running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 90$.
Light pieces of clothing like summer dresses and shirts cost a little above 37$.
| Average Clothing Prices | |
|---|---|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $55.45 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $37.37 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $90.45 |
RENT PER MONTH
Rent is much more expensive in Mexico City than elsewhere in Mexico, but it all depends on where you want to live and how big you want your apartment to be.
You can also choose between furnished and unfurnished ones.
In general, a one-bedroom apartment in the city center will cost you around 843.13$, while one outside of the city center will be closer to 509.91$.
| Average Rent Prices | |
|---|---|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $843.13 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $509.91 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $1590.45 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Mexico City?
Rent is definitely how the average person in Mexico City spends the biggest part of their salary.
The fact that rent is the first on the list of expenses in Mexico City means that rent is in fact much more expensive here than in other cities, where an average person spends the biggest part of their money on food.
The next thing that draws the biggest bulk of the money from the people of Mexico City is food.
Restaurants are the third on the pie chart of expenses, followed by transportation which is an everyday necessity.
People of Mexico City spend more money on sports and leisure than on utilities.
Average Costs Breakdown
Mexico City: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The minimum wage in Mexico City is around 1340$ which is extremely low and definitely not high enough to be able to cover all of your costs in this city.
While the average monthly net salary is around 722.26$ which is more than in most other cities in the country, there’s still a general feeling of dissatisfaction with the influx of money.
If you’re planning on going to Mexico City for a period of time, you can bring around 1000$ for a month and that should definitely suffice.
Mexico City Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Mexico City Safety Review
| OVERALL RISK | MEDIUM |
|---|---|
| TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK | MEDIUM |
| PICKPOCKETS RISK | HIGH |
| NATURAL DISASTERS RISK | MEDIUM |
| MUGGING RISK | MEDIUM |
| TERRORISM RISK | LOW |
| SCAMS RISK | MEDIUM |
| WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK | MEDIUM |
| TAP WATER RISK | HIGH |
Cost of Living by City in Mexico
| City | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|
| Cancun |
31.35 |
| Guadalajara |
31.46 |
| Merida |
29.39 |
| Monterrey |
34.12 |
| Puebla |
28.89 |
| Puerto Vallarta |
29.82 |
| Queretaro |
31.01 |
| Tijuana |
37.3 |
It’s crazy how much prices can vary just within the same city. I’ve heard a lot about those neighborhoods being pricey, but I guess it makes sense for places that are so trendy. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out where to live when costs are all over the map.