Cost of Living: Ajijic vs Mexico City (2026)

Mexico vs Mexico — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Ajijic

Mexico City

$879/mo

Rent

$1173/mo

49/100

Livability

44/100

30/100

Settler safety

30/100

62/100

Healthcare

63/100

4 yr

PR path

4 yr

—

Internet

33 Mbps

Freelance setup

RESICO

No VAT exemption
€350/yr accountant

Stripe

RESICO

No VAT exemption
€350/yr accountant

Stripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRAjijic is 25% cheaper on rent ($879/mo vs $1173/mo). Ajijic is safer — homicide rate 24.9 vs 26.1 per 100k. Both are solid options for settling down — the spreadsheet won't save you from this one.

Ajijic edges ahead 49 to 44. Mexico City isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you.

Household

Ajijic

Metric

Mexico City

✓$879/mo

🏠

Rent (1BR centre)

lower is better

$1173/mo

✓$247/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$438/mo

✓$3,387

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,269

30 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

30 / 100

24.9 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

26.1 / 100k

12.0 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

12.0 / 100k

—

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

33 / 100

26°C

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

24°C

12°C

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

7°C

—

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

33 Mbps

—

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

28.5 μg/m³

5.3 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

5.3 / 10

20/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

20/100

$26k

💼

GDP per capita

higher is better

$26k

4.7% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

4.7% · Boringly steady

✓49 / 100

🏅

Livability Score

higher is better

44 / 100

—

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

52/100 — Unreliable

—

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

59/100

4 years

📋

Time to PR

lower is better

4 years

See exactly what you keep after taxes in each city

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Ajijic

$293/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Ajijic

24.9 homicides per 100k

Sun

How much sky you actually get

52% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

41% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

10.9h

Shortest day

Dec

11.0h

13.3h

Longest day

Jun

13.3h

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

—

Democracy trend

declining ↓

stable →

Inflation trend

improving ↑

—

Industries

finteche-commercelogistics-techai-tech

—

Startup ecosystem

hub

—

Grid reliability

52/100

4 yrs

Time to PR

4 yrs

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

EU visa

Moderate

RU visa

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

⚠️ Needs a separate work permit

Spouse works

⚠️ Needs a separate work permit

$4,400/mo

Retiree visa

$4,400/mo

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · IEA · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

12 wk

Gestational limit

12 wk

Decriminalized nationwide by Supreme Court in 2023. Access varies by state.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

71/100

Rainbow Index

71/100

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Rainbow Index source: ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map (European cities) / Equaldex Equality Index (elsewhere) — two distinct scales

The Short Version

•Rent is 25% cheaper in Ajijic ($879/mo vs $1173/mo for a 1BR city centre).
•Summers are slightly warmer in Ajijic (26°C vs 24°C).
•Ajijic is safer by homicide rate (24.9 vs 26.1 per 100k).

Ajijic vs Mexico City — Common Questions

Is Ajijic cheaper than Mexico City?▾

Ajijic is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $879/month in Ajijic vs $1173/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Ajijic or Mexico City?▾

Ajijic is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Ajijic has a rate of 24.86 per 100,000 and Mexico City has 26.11 per 100,000.

Should I move to Ajijic or Mexico City?▾

Ajijic edges ahead 49 to 44. Mexico City isn't far behind — it depends what matters to you. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Ajijic or Mexico City?▾

Ajijic: Mexico Temporary Resident Visa (moderate requirements, 1–4 years). Mexico City: Mexico Temporary Resident Visa (moderate requirements, 1–4 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Ajijic vs Mexico City?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $879/month in Ajijic, $1173/month in Mexico City (Numbeo). That's 25% cheaper rent in Ajijic.