Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belo Horizonte and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Belo Horizonte: $971 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Belo Horizonte
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Belo Horizonte Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil

$971

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belo Horizonte 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 Belo Horizonte and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Belo Horizonte $971
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Belo Horizonte versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Belo Horizonte $1,574
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,177 in Belo Horizonte versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Belo Horizonte $2,177
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Belo Horizonte costs roughly 38% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belo Horizonte is 28% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.03 R$30.57

$11.02 MX$204

-45.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.56 R$190

$48.68 MX$900

-22.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 R$43.99

$10.90 MX$201

-20.37%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R$11.65

$3.68 MX$68.1

-37.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.20

$1.63 MX$30.18

-12.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.85

$1.25 MX$23.07

-39.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 R$10.96

$3.25 MX$60.1

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 R$18.18

$5.53 MX$102

-35.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.11

$1.70 MX$31.50

-40.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 R$9.06

$3.02 MX$55.8

-40.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 R$10.25

$1.92 MX$35.53

5.21%

Eggs

$2.28 R$11.55

$2.73 MX$50.5

-16.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 R$51.0

$11.77 MX$218

-14.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 R$21.75

$9.53 MX$176

-54.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 R$39.87

$14.41 MX$266

-45.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$9.75

$3.02 MX$55.8

-36.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.89 MX$35.01

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.99 MX$36.70

-40.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.10

$2.19 MX$40.38

-26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.92 MX$35.43

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 R$4.91

$1.87 MX$34.49

-48.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.10

$1.44 MX$26.62

-43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.65

$1.27 MX$23.39

-27.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.95

$5.22 MX$96.4

-51.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 R$39.75

$16.17 MX$299

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R$6.90

$1.90 MX$35.03

-28.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R$13.97

$4.22 MX$78.0

-34.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.21

$0.34 MX$6.30

258.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 R$346

$19.65 MX$363

247.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 R$5.19

$2.00 MX$36.90

-49.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.85

$0.52 MX$9.67

46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 R$32.60

$5.34 MX$98.7

20.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.52 MX$28.13

-17.11%

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

$23.3K R$118.3K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

5.67%

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

$33.8K R$171.6K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

38.10%

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

$78.8 R$400

$61.1 MX$1,129

29.05%

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

$10.20 R$51.7

$28.58 MX$528

-64.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.16 R$107

$34.47 MX$637

-38.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.93 R$147

$56.4 MX$1,042

-48.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.55 R$226

$24.88 MX$460

79.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 R$39.15

$6.66 MX$123

15.92%

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

$463 R$2,348

$427 MX$7,891

8.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K R$69.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

17.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 R$314

$67.8 MX$1,253

-8.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.18 R$244

$52.0 MX$960

-7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R$502

$106 MX$1,959

-6.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.8 R$369

$113 MX$2,080

-35.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 R$2,882

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R$1,449

$654 MX$12.1K

-56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$912 R$4,621

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-60.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 R$3,008

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-52.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,312 R$11.7K

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-36.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 R$5,508

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-43.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$624 R$3,161

$964 MX$17.8K

-35.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.3

-0.44%

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

Last update for Belo Horizonte: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belo Horizonte

$286 29.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 129% $368

Groceries & Markets

Belo Horizonte

$198 20.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 60.9% $120

Eating Out

Belo Horizonte

$129 13.2%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 58.6% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Belo Horizonte

$127 13.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 20% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belo Horizonte

$110 11.3%

Mexico City

$124 8% 12.7% $14

Getting Around

Belo Horizonte

$78 8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 67.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Belo Horizonte

$44 4.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 57.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $569 in Belo Horizonte and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $38.00 in Belo Horizonte vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $323 per month, with Belo Horizonte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belo Horizonte

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

3 h behind Belo Horizonte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,315,560

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belo Horizonte Mexico City 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Belo Horizonte
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

Belo Horizonte vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belo Horizonte and Mexico City differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($971 vs $1,567 including rent). Belo Horizonte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $569 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Belo Horizonte versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $971 in Belo Horizonte versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Belo Horizonte but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Belo Horizonte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Belo Horizonte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.