Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arecibo and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arecibo and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Arecibo $1,281
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Arecibo $2,005
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Arecibo $2,730
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Arecibo costs roughly 18% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arecibo is 5% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$10.75 MX$199

12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$50.3 MX$929

61.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$11.10 MX$205

-22.97%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$3.68 MX$68.1

-7.07%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.65 MX$30.42

15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.30 MX$24.08

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.32 MX$61.3

-8.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.54 MX$102

-8.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.77 MX$32.68

1.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.05 MX$56.4

10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.01 MX$37.20

-3.48%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.77 MX$51.1

61.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$11.91 MX$220

7.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$9.33 MX$172

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$15.02 MX$278

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.08 MX$56.8

61.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.95 MX$35.97

32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.03 MX$37.54

136.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.21 MX$40.92

119.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.02 MX$37.41

82.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.82 MX$33.67

119.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.52 MX$28.07

132.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.28 MX$23.65

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.27 MX$97.4

127.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$16.12 MX$298

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.95 MX$36.05

58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$4.25 MX$78.6

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$19.85 MX$367

104.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.00 MX$36.93

27.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.53 MX$9.86

175.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$5.62 MX$104

646.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.52 MX$28.07

-40.13%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$40.4K $40.4K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

91.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.2K $28.2K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

11.80%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$324 $324

$62.5 MX$1,155

418.98%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$28.77 MX$532

136.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$34.45 MX$637

91.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$6.67 MX$123

58.77%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$833 $833

$431 MX$7,964

93.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

7.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$70.8 MX$1,308

-20.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$51.8 MX$958

18.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$109 MX$2,011

0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$112 MX$2,076

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,191 $1,191

$975 MX$18.0K

22.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.3

-42.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 72.6% $333

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 18.3% $72

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Mexico City

$203 13% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 1% $1.5

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 48.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 233% $49

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

2 h behind Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arecibo Mexico City 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arecibo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Arecibo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arecibo and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.