What a Trip to Mexico City Actually Costs

Mexico City is cheaper than most visitors expect for transport and museums, and closer to European prices than they expect for restaurants in Roma Norte and Polanco. This is what things actually cost in pesos, how much to tip, and the handful of places where a card will not help you.

A note on the numbers. Transport fares and museum entry below are official published prices, checked on 1 September 2026. Food and taxi figures are typical market ranges rather than fixed prices, and they move. Museum entry in particular tends to rise each January.

How much is transport in Mexico City?

Public transport in Mexico City is among the cheapest of any major capital. A single metro ride costs 5 pesos in 2026. Metrobús costs 6 pesos on every line except Line 4 to the airport, which has a flat fare of 30 pesos. The Tren Ligero costs 3 pesos.

Journey	Cost (2026)	Notes
Metro, single ride	5 MXN	Flat fare, any distance
Metrobús, single ride	6 MXN	All lines except Line 4
Metrobús Line 4 to the airport	30 MXN	Runs from Paseo de la Reforma to Terminals 1 and 2
Tren Ligero	3 MXN	South of the city
Movilidad Integrada card	15 MXN	Around 20 MXN at a station, which includes a first ride
Ride-hail across neighbourhoods	Typically 60–100 MXN	Market range, varies with traffic
Airport to the centre by car	Typically 180–240 MXN by ride-hail; more by authorised sitio taxi	Market range, varies with traffic and time

Buy the rechargeable card at the first station you use and top it up in pesos. Line 4 of the Metrobús is free for over-70s, people with an evident disability and children under five. Our airport to Roma Norte transport guide goes through each option in detail.

How much do museums and attractions cost?

Federal museums are inexpensive; the private and semi-private ones are not. The gap is large enough to matter when you are planning a week.

Attraction	General entry (2026)	Mexican nationals and residents
Museo Nacional de Antropología	210 MXN	105 MXN · free on Sundays
Teotihuacán	210 MXN	105 MXN · free on Sundays
Museo Frida Kahlo, Casa Azul	320 MXN	Same · includes Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo	45 MXN	Free on Sundays, and for students and teachers
Trajinera in Xochimilco	750 MXN per hour	Per boat, not per person, up to 18 people

Two things follow from that table. Sunday entry to the federal museums is free for Mexican nationals and residents, which is why the Museo Nacional de Antropología is at its busiest then. And the Xochimilco fare is per boat: split between six people it is inexpensive, and alone it is not. See our Xochimilco guide and the best museums in Mexico City.

How much does food cost in Mexico City?

You can eat very well for very little, and you can also spend European money without trying. Both are true in the same neighbourhood, sometimes on the same street. Typical 2026 ranges:

Street tacos: in the region of 15–20 pesos each. Four or five make a meal.
Comida corrida, the set lunch: roughly 150–220 pesos in a casual restaurant.
Dinner in a good Roma Norte or Condesa restaurant: around 300–500 pesos a head before drinks.
Tasting menu at a high-end restaurant: in the region of 1,200–2,500 pesos a head before wine.
Mexican craft beer: around 45–70 pesos. Mezcal cocktail: around 80–120 pesos.

The spread between a taquería and a tasting menu in this city is wider than in most capitals, which is good news: you can alternate. Our guides cover both ends, from tacos and street food in Roma Norte to the neighbourhood’s restaurants and the Michelin-starred rooms.

How much should you tip in Mexico City?

Ten to fifteen per cent in restaurants, and fifteen per cent has become the norm in upscale Mexico City restaurants. At a taquería or a fonda, ten per cent or rounding up is normal. The tip is called the propina.

Three practical rules that visitors get wrong:

Check the bill before you add anything. A service charge is not usually included, but if the receipt says propina incluida or servicio incluido, it already is. Mexico’s consumer protection agency issued a national warning in early 2026 after tourist restaurants in Cancún began adding a fifteen per cent service charge automatically.
Tip in cash even when you pay by card. The standard advice in Mexico is that a card tip may not reach the person who served you. Pay the bill on the card and leave pesos on the table.
Small tips elsewhere. A few pesos for the person who packs your shopping, for a hotel porter, for the attendant at a car park. None of it is large; all of it is expected.

Cash or card: what do you actually need pesos for?

Cards work in restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and most shops in Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco. Cash is still required for markets, street food, small taquerías, tips and the metro. Carry some pesos every day even if you intend to pay for everything on a card.

Withdraw from an ATM attached to a bank branch rather than a standalone machine in a shop, and decline the machine’s offer to convert the amount into your own currency: that conversion is almost always worse than your bank’s. Change money before you need it rather than at an airport counter.

What does a day in Mexico City cost?

Adding the figures above, a rough shape for one person for one day, excluding accommodation:

Style of day	Roughly	What that looks like
Frugal	350–500 MXN	Metro, street food, one federal museum, a beer
Comfortable	800–1,300 MXN	A mix of metro and ride-hail, a set lunch, a museum, dinner in the neighbourhood, drinks
Generous	2,500 MXN and up	Cars everywhere, a tasting menu, private guiding

These are for the day, not the room. Where you sleep is the largest single line in almost every Mexico City budget, and it is also the one that changes the trip most. Our guides to the best neighbourhood to stay in and Roma Norte vs Condesa vs Polanco deal with that decision.

Where the money goes further

Walk in the neighbourhood you sleep in. Staying somewhere walkable removes most of the transport line from the budget. That is the practical case for Roma Norte over a hotel district.
Eat lunch as the main meal. The comida corrida is the best value in the city and it is a lunchtime thing.
Take the metro at rush hour and a car late at night. The metro is genuinely fast and genuinely crowded between about 7 and 9 in the morning and 6 and 8 in the evening.
Book the expensive dinner, skip the expensive lunch. The same kitchens are often much cheaper at midday.
Breakfast where you sleep, if it is included. It is included at Casa Goliana.

If you are pricing a move rather than a holiday, that is a different question with different numbers: see the cost of living in Mexico City and expat neighbourhoods.

Frequently asked questions

How much do you tip in Mexico City?

Ten to fifteen per cent of the bill in restaurants, with fifteen per cent now the norm in upscale Mexico City restaurants. Ten per cent or rounding up is fine at taquerías and fondas. Check the receipt for propina incluida before adding anything.

How much is the metro in Mexico City?

Five pesos for a single ride in 2026. Metrobús is 6 pesos on all lines except Line 4 to the airport, which is 30 pesos. The Tren Ligero is 3 pesos. All use the same rechargeable card, which costs 15 pesos.

Can you pay by card in Mexico City?

In restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and most shops in Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco, yes. Markets, street food, small taquerías, tips and the metro still need cash. The rechargeable card itself can be topped up with a credit card, too, at the machines by the entrance of every station.

How much is a taxi from Mexico City airport to the centre?

Metrobús Line 4 runs from the airport terminals to Paseo de la Reforma for a flat 30 pesos. A ride-hailing car typically runs in the region of 180 to 240 pesos, and an authorised sitio taxi more, both depending on traffic and time of day.

Should you tip in cash or on the card?

Cash. It is widely advised in Mexico that a tip added to a card payment may not reach the server, so pay the bill by card and leave the propina in pesos.

Is Mexico City expensive?

Transport, museums and street food are cheap by the standards of any major capital. Restaurants and hotels in Roma Norte, Condesa and Polanco are priced closer to European levels. Most visitors find the total lower than expected, with one or two dinners as the exception.

Written by Jose Gaspard, travel editor at Casa Goliana, an eight-room boutique hotel in a restored early twentieth-century mansion at Guanajuato 199, Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City.

Prices checked: 1 September 2026. Transport fares and museum entry are official published 2026 prices; food and taxi figures are typical market ranges, not fixed prices. Museum entry generally rises each January. Confirm before you travel.