Mexico vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Mexico United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$880
$2498
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2158
$5861
🏠 One person rent
$398
$1595
🏘️ Family rent
$725
$2818
🍽️ Food expenses
$328
$638
🚐 Transport expenses
$74.6
$100
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$678
$4485
💸 GDP per capita
$13790
$82769
😃 Human freedom index
6.66
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
74.8
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
26
65
🌐 English speaking %
13%
95.3%
🎓 Higher education
89
100
😀 Quality of life
43
86
🏙️ Population
125M
340M

The average cost of living in Mexico ($880) is 65% less expensive than in the United States ($2498). Mexico ranked 104th vs 7th for the United States in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Mexico compared to 1.8 months in the United States. Ranked 103rd and 21st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Mexico vs United States infographic

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Prices in Mexico vs the United States

We calculate prices for Mexico and the United States as a population-weighted mean of 144 and 2202 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Mexico United States
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.38
$19.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$32.9
$77.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.29
$11
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.24
$6.27
 Cappuccino
$3.34
$5.22
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.18
$2.59
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$477
$1640
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$303
$1347
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$911
$2923
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$579
$2471
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.7
$124
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.8
$190
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$24.4
$66.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.41%
6.52%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1856
$4583
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1375
$3784
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.57
$2.35
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$27.3
$68.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$11.2
$18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.14
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.31
$1.1
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.9
$3.59
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.43
$4.49
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.22
$4.15
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.81
$13.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.89
$11.9
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10
$16.4
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.37
$5.15
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.31
$1.78
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.64
$4.54
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.51
$4.63
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.63
$2.84
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.72
$2.86
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.62
$1.48
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.68
$2.64
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.9
$14.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.42
$2.21
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.66
$10.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.19
$9.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.37
$5.83
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.74
$4.44
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.71
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.4
$48.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.34
$14.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$30
$125
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.63
$21.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$46.7
$53.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$82.5
$90
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$252
$1451
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5685
$21164

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Mexico vs the United States

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Mexico

City Cost of living Population
Mexico City
$1160
9.21M
Tijuana
$1047
1.96M
Zapopan
$1021
1.48M
Ecatepec de Morelos
$704
1.93M
Monterrey
$1277
1.14M
Ciudad Juarez
$948
1.32M
Leon
$684
1.58M
Guadalajara
$1017
1.46M
Puebla
$981
1.43M
Mexicali
$913
1.03M
Queretaro
$983
795K
Aguascalientes
$796
934K
Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl
$814
1.07M
Saltillo
$892
864K
Guadalupe
$916
692K
Naucalpan
$800
872K
Morelia
$717
963K
Cancun
$1132
889K
Chihuahua
$814
878K
Culiacan
$761
808K
Hermosillo
$814
856K
Merida
$1085
892K
Apodaca
$952
523K
Acapulco
$756
673K
San Luis Potosi
$808
773K
Tlaquepaque
$660
664K
Torreon
$646
690K
San Nicolas de los Garza
$842
443K
Tlalnepantla
$741
653K
Reynosa
$795
589K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4441
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3196
3.9M
Chicago
$2678
2.75M
Houston
$2265
2.3M
San Diego
$3428
1.39M
Phoenix
$2395
1.61M
Philadelphia
$2597
1.6M
San Francisco
$3905
874K
Dallas
$2471
1.3M
San Jose
$3810
1.01M
San Antonio
$2033
1.43M
Austin
$2455
962K
Seattle
$3015
737K
Indianapolis
$2189
888K
Washington
$3149
690K
Fort Worth
$2289
919K
Hempstead
$2664
793K
Charlotte
$2528
875K
Boston
$3547
676K
Jacksonville
$2364
950K
Denver
$2717
716K
Columbus
$2145
906K
Portland
$2629
653K
Nashville
$2508
689K
Atlanta
$2570
499K
Las Vegas
$2271
642K
Oklahoma City
$1832
681K
Baltimore
$2287
586K
Oakland
$2968
441K
Sacramento
$2813
525K