Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Mexico City: $1,611 and $1,548 a month, rent and utilities included.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,611
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 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 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $1,611
  • Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $2,409 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $2,409
  • Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $3,207 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur $3,207
  • Mexico City $3,323

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur costs about 4% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and Mexico City sit above the global median – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur by 19%, Mexico City by 14%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.35 MX$191
$11.02 MX$204
-6.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.09 MX$889
$48.68 MX$900
-1.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.88 MX$182
$10.90 MX$201
-9.36%
Cappuccino
$3.37 MX$62.2
$3.68 MX$68.1
-8.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MX$26.54
$1.63 MX$30.18
-11.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 MX$16.86
$1.25 MX$23.07
-27.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 MX$44.20
$3.25 MX$60.1
-26.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 MX$81.5
$5.53 MX$102
-20.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.78 MX$32.84
$1.70 MX$31.50
4.71%
White Bread (500g)
$3.03 MX$55.9
$3.02 MX$55.8
0.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.38 MX$43.92
$1.92 MX$35.53
23.96%
Eggs
$2.35 MX$43.47
$2.73 MX$50.5
-13.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 MX$212
$11.77 MX$218
-2.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 MX$178
$9.53 MX$176
1.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 MX$248
$14.41 MX$266
-6.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.59 MX$47.82
$3.02 MX$55.8
-14.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 MX$28.94
$1.89 MX$35.01
-16.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 MX$29.98
$1.99 MX$36.70
-18.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 MX$31.57
$2.19 MX$40.38
-21.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 MX$22.29
$1.92 MX$35.43
-36.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 MX$33.99
$1.87 MX$34.49
-1.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.77 MX$51.3
$1.44 MX$26.62
92.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.31
$1.27 MX$23.39
-4.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.81 MX$88.9
$5.22 MX$96.4
-7.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.87 MX$201
$16.17 MX$299
-32.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.53
$1.90 MX$35.03
-18.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 MX$64.3
$4.22 MX$78.0
-17.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 MX$16.59
$0.34 MX$6.30
164.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.4 MX$968
$19.65 MX$363
166.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 MX$80.8
$2.00 MX$36.90
118.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.97 MX$54.9
$0.52 MX$9.67
471.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.43 MX$193
$5.34 MX$98.7
95.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.14
$1.52 MX$28.13
-7.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K MX$394.1K
$22.1K MX$408.0K
-3.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.9K MX$441.5K
$24.5K MX$452.9K
-2.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.4 MX$1,560
$61.1 MX$1,129
38.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.86 MX$459
$28.58 MX$528
-13.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.45 MX$581
$34.47 MX$637
-8.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.08 MX$833
$56.4 MX$1,042
-20.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$30.06 MX$556
$24.88 MX$460
20.82%
Cinema Ticket
$4.13 MX$76.3
$6.66 MX$123
-37.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$226 MX$4,180
$427 MX$7,891
-47.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,280 MX$153.0K
$11.6K MX$215.0K
-28.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.3 MX$1,317
$67.8 MX$1,253
5.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.5 MX$970
$52.0 MX$960
1.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.2 MX$1,759
$106 MX$1,959
-10.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.0 MX$1,257
$113 MX$2,080
-39.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,190 MX$22.0K
$1,025 MX$18.9K
16.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$733 MX$13.5K
$654 MX$12.1K
11.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,509 MX$46.4K
$2,308 MX$42.7K
8.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.8K
$1,242 MX$22.9K
-5.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,827 MX$70.7K
$3,613 MX$66.8K
5.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,210 MX$40.8K
$1,936 MX$35.8K
14.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$750 MX$13.9K
$964 MX$17.8K
-22.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.6
11.3
2.65%

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

Last update for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$733
Mexico City
$654 10.7% $78
Groceries & Markets
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$297
Mexico City
$318 7.3% $22
Eating Out
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$183
Mexico City
$204 11.4% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$141
Mexico City
$124 11.8% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$129
Mexico City
$152 17.9% $23
Getting Around
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$75
Mexico City
$26 65.9% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
$53
Mexico City
$70 30.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,190 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Mexico City, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $318 – making Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
12:25 12:25 PM
13:25 1:25 PM
1 h ahead of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
202,694
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur Mexico City 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur
  • 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
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mexico City cheaper than Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur?
Yes – Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,416 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 167% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur and $427 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or in Mexico City?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur at $1,611. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur or Mexico City more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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