Cost of Living in Mexico vs the US (2026)

Three worked monthly budgets

Each line below is either a figure from the dataset or a fixed US reference amount scaled by this country's index for that category. The reference column stays on screen so you can see exactly what was multiplied by what, and swap in your own number where your life differs.

One person, outside the city centre

A single adult renting a one-bedroom away from the centre, cooking most nights, using public transport rather than running a car. Living outside the centre is what makes this budget work in Mexico: a central one-bedroom runs 55% more than an outer one, $765 against $495.

Modelled monthly spend in Mexico, US dollars. One person, outside the city centre.
Line item	How it was derived	In Mexico	Same line, US
Rent, one-bed outside the centre	Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data	$495	$1,350
Groceries and household	$400 US reference × groceries index 93	$372	$400
Utilities, phone and internet	$210 US reference × utilities index 27	$57	$210
Local transport	$120 US reference × transport index 84	$101	$120
Eating and drinking out	$170 US reference × restaurant index 73	$124	$170
Everything else (clothes, leisure, repairs)	$240 US reference × overall price index 62	$149	$240
Monthly total		$1,298	$2,490

The same basket runs $1,192 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $14,304 across a year.

A couple, one-bedroom in the centre

Two people sharing a central one-bedroom, two transport passes, a bigger grocery bill and a real restaurant habit. On one average Mexican net salary that flat alone would take 76% of take-home pay, against 40% in the US — which is why this household is two incomes, or one large one.

Modelled monthly spend in Mexico, US dollars. A couple, one-bedroom in the centre.
Line item	How it was derived	In Mexico	Same line, US
Rent, one-bed in the centre	Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data	$765	$1,700
Groceries and household	$680 US reference × groceries index 93	$632	$680
Utilities, phone and internet	$265 US reference × utilities index 27	$72	$265
Local transport, two people	$215 US reference × transport index 84	$181	$215
Eating and drinking out	$360 US reference × restaurant index 73	$263	$360
Everything else (clothes, leisure, repairs)	$430 US reference × overall price index 62	$267	$430
Monthly total		$2,180	$3,650

The same basket runs $1,470 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $17,640 across a year.

Remote worker still paid by a US employer

Central flat, no Mexican employer and therefore no employer health cover, plus the travel and connectivity costs that come with keeping a US job from abroad. This is the household that gains most from the gap here: US pay meeting Mexico prices at an overall index of 62 against 100, with private cover at $150 a month as the standing cost of not being on a local payroll.

Modelled monthly spend in Mexico, US dollars. Remote worker still paid by a US employer.
Line item	How it was derived	In Mexico	Same line, US
Rent, one-bed in the centre	Market average for a one-bedroom, taken straight from the data	$765	$1,700
Groceries and household	$470 US reference × groceries index 93	$437	$470
Utilities, phone, internet and a desk	$300 US reference × utilities index 27	$81	$300
Local transport	$150 US reference × transport index 84	$126	$150
Eating and drinking out	$420 US reference × restaurant index 73	$307	$420
Everything else, including travel home	$520 US reference × overall price index 62	$322	$520
Private health cover, one adult	Typical private premium in the dataset, not scaled	$150	Not comparable
Monthly total		$2,188	$3,560

The same basket runs $1,522 a month less than it would in the United States, or about $18,264 across a year. The US column excludes health cover because the structures do not line up: Employer-sponsored single coverage averaged about $777 a month in total premium, most of it paid by the employer, before deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

These are models, not surveyed household budgets. They take national price levels and apply them to a fixed reference basket, so they describe the price environment rather than anyone's actual spending. Capital cities routinely run above the national index, second cities below it, and a car, school fees, childcare or debt payments would each add a line that is not here.

Category by category against the US

The overall index hides the spread. The category that comes out best against the US is utilities at an index of 27; the one that comes out worst is groceries at 93, a spread of 66 points between them. Budget from the categories you actually spend in rather than from the headline number: a household that eats out four nights a week is exposed to a different index than one that cooks.

Price levels in Mexico against a US national average of 100. Below 100 is cheaper than the US. Reviewed September 4, 2026.
Category	Index	Compared with the US
Overall consumer prices (including rent)	62	Much cheaper	38% less
Rent	45	Much cheaper	55% less
Groceries	93	Similar	7% less
Restaurants	73	Cheaper	27% less
Transport	84	Cheaper	16% less
Utilities	27	Much cheaper	73% less

In Mexico, overall consumer prices run about 38% below the US average — an index of 62 against a US national average of 100. In Mexico, rent runs about 55% below the US average — an index of 45 against a US national average of 100. In Mexico, groceries run about 7% below the US average — an index of 93 against a US national average of 100. In Mexico, eating out runs about 27% below the US average — an index of 73 against a US national average of 100. In Mexico, local transport runs about 16% below the US average — an index of 84 against a US national average of 100. In Mexico, utilities run about 73% below the US average — an index of 27 against a US national average of 100. Figures reviewed September 4, 2026.

Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Mexico, national averages in US dollars per month. Reviewed September 4, 2026.
Location	Mexico	United States
City centre	$765	$1,700
Outside centre	$495	$1,350
Average net salary	$1,010	$4,230

Rent is the line worth stress-testing first. A central one-bedroom averages $765 against $1,700 in the US, and moving out of the centre takes it to $495, a difference of $270 a month before anything else in the budget changes.

How each category ranks across the tracked countries

The table above compares Mexico with the United States. This one compares it with everywhere else on this site, category by category, so you can see which line items are a real advantage here and which are simply normal across the countries Americans look at.

Mexico against the 15 countriestracked here, per category. Rank 1 is the cheapest in the set; the US baseline is 100 throughout.
Category	Mexico	Median of the set	Rank	Cheapest in the set
Overall prices	62	87	2 of 15	Thailand (32)
Rent	45	77	2 of 15	Thailand (29)
Groceries	93	93	8 of 15	Thailand (64)
Restaurants	73	94	5 of 15	Thailand (26)
Transport	84	103	2 of 15	Thailand (52)
Utilities	27	93	2 of 15	Thailand (17)

Where Mexico ranks in this dataset

Against the 15 countries tracked here, Mexico is number 2 from the cheapest, and 13 of them are more expensive. The cheapest in the set is Thailand at 32, the priciest Ireland at 100.

Overall consumer price index against a US average of 100, cheapest first. The last column takes $4,230 of monthly US spending and reprices it locally.
Rank	Country	Index	vs US	1-bed, centre	$4,230 of US spending costs
1	Thailand	32	67.7% less	$475	$1,366
2	Mexico You are here	62	38% less	$765	$2,623
3	Portugal	63	37% less	$1,200	$2,665
4	Japan	66	34.3% less	$1,280	$2,779
5	Spain	70	30% less	$1,390	$2,961
6	Italy	71	29% less	$1,200	$3,003
7	Germany	72	28.5% less	$645	$3,024
8	New Zealand	87	13% less	$1,112	$3,680
9	Netherlands	88	12% less	$1,640	$3,722
10	Canada	91	9% less	$1,433	$3,849
11	Sweden	92	8% less	$1,206	$3,892
12	United Kingdom	92	8% less	$2,370	$3,892
13	Norway	99	about level	$1,642	$4,188
14	Australia	100	about level	$1,675	$4,230
15	Ireland	100	about level	$2,263	$4,230

United States vs Mexico, line by line →

What a US take-home packet is worth in Mexico

The same dollars buy a different amount of life once the local price level applies. Each card takes a US monthly take-home figure, reprices the identical standard of living at an index of 62, and shows what is left over. Rent share is the central one-bedroom as a percentage of that take-home, next to the same share in the US.

Modest take-home

$3,000/mo take-home

Same lifestyle costs: $1,860
Left over each month: +$1,140
Buys what this would in the US: $4,839
Central rent as a share of pay: 26% vs 57% in the US

US average net pay

$4,230/mo take-home

Same lifestyle costs: $2,623
Left over each month: +$1,607
Buys what this would in the US: $6,823
Central rent as a share of pay: 18% vs 40% in the US

Senior take-home

$8,000/mo take-home

Same lifestyle costs: $4,960
Left over each month: +$3,040
Buys what this would in the US: $12,903
Central rent as a share of pay: 10% vs 21% in the US

Take-home is the number that matters here, so these figures assume you have already paid tax somewhere. Where that tax is due is a separate question with real money attached. How the Mexico tax rules treat Americans →

The same budgets against the pay that usually funds them

An index tells you what things cost, not whether you can afford them. The average local net salary in Mexico is $1,010 a month against $4,230 in the US, so the budgets above land very differently depending on who is paying you. The share column is the modelled budget as a percentage of that net pay.

Modelled monthly budget as a share of monthly net pay, using the average net salary for each side rather than an individual offer.
Household	Budget in Mexico	Income assumed	Share of net pay	Same basket, US pay
Single person, local job	$1,298	Local average net pay, $1,010	129%	59%
Couple, two local jobs	$2,180	Two local average net salaries, $2,020	108%	43%
Remote worker, US employer	$2,188	US average net pay, $4,230	52%	84%

A local job also means local deductions. The top personal income tax rate in Mexico is 35% and VAT or sales tax runs at 16% on most of what you buy, which is already inside the price indices above but not inside a US gross salary you might be comparing against.

Run your own number for Mexico

Put your real take-home in and the comparison reruns against the Mexico price level, with and without rent.

Your monthly take-home pay

$

After tax, in US dollarsInclude rent in the comparison

—

Enter your income to see the comparison.

Same lifestyle costs you—

Monthly difference—

1-bed rent, city centre—

1-bed rent, outside centre—

Category price levels, US average = 100
Category	Index	vs US

A ratio, not a budget: it scales your income by the country's overall consumer price level against the US average. Your actual costs depend on the city and how you live. Rent figures are national market averages for a one-bedroom apartment.

Sources and method

Indices are expressed against a US national average of 100 and reconciled from the sources below. Rent and salary figures are national averages in US dollars. The budget tables multiply those indices by the reference amounts printed in each row; no figure on this page comes from a household survey, and none of it is financial advice.

What these numbers are. Several figures on this page could not be matched to a published statistic and are reasoned estimates. Treat them as directional and check the official sources before acting on them. Where a source entry says a value is derived, estimated or crowd-sourced, that is exactly what it is: no international body publishes a like-for-like index for every category, and private insurance premiums are not published at all in most countries. Rent figures are national market averages, so a capital city will run above them. How the dataset is built.

How this page is maintained · Your New Country editorial team

Every figure on this site is compiled from a primary source — the OECD, Eurostat, the World Bank, national statistics offices, and each country’s own immigration, tax and health authorities — and published with that source and the date it was accessed beside it.

Each country’s immigration, tax and health rules are read in the original official source rather than in secondary coverage
Every figure is reconciled against OECD, Eurostat, World Bank and national statistics releases, and re-checked on a quarterly cycle
The derivation and the access date sit beside each number, estimates are marked as estimates, and every country carries a confidence rating
Corrections are checked against the primary source, applied, and the review date on the page is updated

Data reviewed September 4, 2026 · source confidence: low ·methodology ·report a figure that looks wrong

Keep going on Mexico

Visas & residencyEvery route a US citizen can actually use, with costs and official links.TaxesResidency triggers, the US filing obligation, treaties and FEIE.HealthcareHow the system works, what foreigners can access, what cover costs.

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