Which is cheaper, Mexico City or Oaxaca City?

Mexico City is cheaper: about $1,318 per month versus $1,400 for one person.

Is Mexico City or Oaxaca City safer?

Mexico City scores higher on safety (23 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

Where is the internet faster, Mexico City or Oaxaca City?

Mexico City: a measured median of 30.5 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

Mexico City vs Oaxaca City

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Oaxaca City edges it, 52 to 52, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Mexico City is stronger on getting there & around, internet; Oaxaca City on air quality, climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Mexico City

out of 100

Vast, cultured, and 180 days visa-free

Full Mexico City profile →

Oaxaca City

out of 100

Food, mezcal and colonial calm

Full Oaxaca City profile →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Cost of living	55 ✓	52
Safety	23	23
Healthcare	65	65
Internet	57 ✓	47
Visa ease	90	90
Getting there & around	41 ✓	22
Climate	25	42 ✓
Air quality	56	74 ✓
Quality of life	54	54

Cost

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city	$1,318 ✓	$1,400
Central one-bedroom rent	$791	no data

Safety and health (country-level)

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Homicides per 100k	28.2	28.2
Political stability (0–100)	53.7	53.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)	79	79
Life expectancy	70.8 yrs	70.8 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Download	30.5 Mbps ✓	18.8 Mbps
Upload	6.7 Mbps ✓	5 Mbps

Visa

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Nomad visa	none listed	none listed
Minimum income for the visa	no data	no data
Visa-free days, US passport	180 days	180 days
Visa-free days, EU passport	180 days	180 days
Visa-free days, UK passport	180 days	180 days

Getting there and around

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Non-stop airport destinations	110 ✓	14
Walkability (1–5, editorial)	3	4 ✓
Transit (1–5, editorial)	4 ✓	2

Climate and air

Metric	Mexico City	Oaxaca City
Comfortable months per year	3	5 ✓
Annual mean PM2.5	25 µg/m³	16.5 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Mexico City or Oaxaca City?: Mexico City is cheaper: about $1,318 per month versus $1,400 for one person.
Is Mexico City or Oaxaca City safer?: Mexico City scores higher on safety (23 vs 23), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Mexico City or Oaxaca City?: Mexico City: a measured median of 30.5 Mbps versus 18.8 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.