Mexico vs United States - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Mexico United States
🚶 Cost of living one person
$889
$2454
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2187
$5738
🏠 One person rent
$400
$1565
🏘️ Family rent
$731
$2755
🍽️ Food expenses
$330
$624
🚐 Transport expenses
$77.5
$102
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$710
$4635
💸 GDP per capita
$13926
$81695
😃 Human freedom index
6.55
8.39
❤️ Life expectancy
74.8
77.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
31
69
🌐 English speaking %
13%
95.5%
🎓 Higher education
89
100
😀 Quality of life
44
87
🏙️ Population
125M
332M

The average cost of living in Mexico ($889) is 64% less expensive than in the United States ($2454). Mexico ranked 102nd vs 10th 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 1.9 months in the United States. Ranked 97th and 20th 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
$9.2
$18.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$32.2
$75
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$7.35
$10.8
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.26
$6.19
 Cappuccino
$3.29
$5.13
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.13
$2.57
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$490
$1641
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$301
$1330
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$928
$2946
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$581
$2414
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.4
$123
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.1
$189
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$24.9
$66.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.44%
6.53%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1726
$4710
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1355
$3231
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.57
$2.37
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$27.5
$70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$11.7
$18.4
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.16
$0.98
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.33
$1.08
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.9
$3.5
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$4.35
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$3.81
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.98
$13
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.09
$11.6
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.5
$15.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.42
$5.03
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.3
$1.76
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$4.51
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.52
$4.74
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$2.81
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$2.88
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.62
$1.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.7
$2.6
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.5
$14.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.44
$2.17
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.62
$10.3
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.51
$9.41
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.31
$6.07
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.83
$4.4
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.77
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.2
$51.1
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$4.34
$14.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.8
$122
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.71
$20.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$48.6
$52.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$83.6
$89.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$260
$1400
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5383
$20224

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
$1190
9.21M
Tijuana
$1050
1.96M
Zapopan
$1012
1.48M
Monterrey
$1257
1.14M
Ecatepec de Morelos
$734
1.93M
Ciudad Juarez
$974
1.32M
Leon
$719
1.58M
Guadalajara
$985
1.46M
Puebla
$939
1.43M
Mexicali
$955
1.03M
Aguascalientes
$826
934K
Queretaro
$941
795K
Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl
$723
1.07M
Guadalupe
$945
692K
Saltillo
$829
864K
Chihuahua
$854
878K
Culiacan
$746
808K
Morelia
$748
963K
Cancun
$1143
889K
Naucalpan
$835
872K
Acapulco
$727
673K
Apodaca
$958
523K
San Luis Potosi
$879
773K
Hermosillo
$854
856K
Merida
$1090
892K
San Nicolas de los Garza
$863
443K
Tlaquepaque
$683
664K
Reynosa
$849
589K
Torreon
$681
690K
Tlalnepantla
$783
653K

In the United States

City Cost of living Population
New York City
$4051
8.8M
Los Angeles
$3187
3.9M
Chicago
$2667
2.75M
Houston
$2248
2.3M
San Diego
$3346
1.39M
Phoenix
$2369
1.61M
San Jose
$3674
1.01M
Dallas
$2550
1.3M
San Francisco
$3781
874K
Philadelphia
$2541
1.6M
San Antonio
$2194
1.43M
Austin
$2473
962K
Seattle
$2908
737K
Indianapolis
$2187
888K
Hempstead
$2702
793K
Charlotte
$2615
875K
Washington
$3139
690K
Boston
$3467
676K
Fort Worth
$2195
919K
Jacksonville
$2386
950K
Columbus
$2252
906K
Denver
$2699
716K
Nashville
$2649
689K
Portland
$2572
653K
Atlanta
$2540
499K
Las Vegas
$2246
642K
Detroit
$2006
639K
Oakland
$3146
441K
El Paso
$1775
679K
Baltimore
$2223
586K