Comparación del coste de vida entre Cartago y Mexico City Comparación del coste de vida entre Cartago y Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,476 in Cartago versus $1,484 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,142 in Cartago versus $2,381 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,808 in Cartago versus $3,278 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs are close between Cartago and Mexico City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartago 10% above, Mexico City 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 ₡3,605

$12.98 MX$227

-38.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ₡14.3K

$53.1 MX$929

-40.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 ₡4,145

$9.72 MX$170

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$3.95 ₡1,794

$3.75 MX$65.6

5.33%

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

$2.03 ₡922

$1.57 MX$27.46

29.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₡558

$1.13 MX$19.76

8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 ₡922

$3.18 MX$55.7

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ₡2,160

$4.66 MX$81.6

1.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ₡897

$1.62 MX$28.37

21.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ₡1,016

$2.71 MX$47.36

-17.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,025

$1.88 MX$32.89

19.68%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,354

$2.51 MX$43.90

18.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,531

$10.08 MX$176

-23.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,115

$8.29 MX$145

9.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 ₡6,118

$11.94 MX$209

12.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,065

$2.86 MX$50.1

58.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ₡527

$1.75 MX$30.62

-33.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 ₡1,791

$2.08 MX$36.48

89.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.76 ₡1,254

$1.97 MX$34.46

40.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 ₡893

$2.16 MX$37.79

-9.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 ₡926

$2.18 MX$38.16

-6.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡442

$1.39 MX$24.34

-30.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₡885

$1.12 MX$19.69

74.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,445

$4.20 MX$73.5

28.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.32 ₡6,964

$14.25 MX$249

7.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,140

$1.76 MX$30.85

42.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡830

$3.68 MX$64.5

-50.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡468

$0.39 MX$6.74

164.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 ₡31.5K

$18.66 MX$327

271.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ₡639

$1.39 MX$24.26

1.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡841

$0.30 MX$5.32

516.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.87 ₡3,581

$5.42 MX$94.9

45.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡660

$1.35 MX$23.63

7.41%

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

$37.8K ₡17.2M

$18.9K MX$330.5K

100.03%

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

$33.0K ₡15.0M

$23.2K MX$405.2K

42.63%

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

$47.45 ₡21.6K

$40.82 MX$714

16.24%

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

$25.90 ₡11.8K

$27.50 MX$481

-5.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 ₡26.0K

$30.38 MX$532

88.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 ₡25.5K

$53.4 MX$935

5.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.30 ₡11.0K

$26.30 MX$460

-7.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ₡2,892

$6.27 MX$110

1.44%

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

$507 ₡230.5K

$436 MX$7,632

16.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,204 ₡3.3M

$10.5K MX$183.2K

-31.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 ₡28.3K

$56.8 MX$993

9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡23.7K

$44.79 MX$784

16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ₡50.6K

$103 MX$1,799

8.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.0 ₡36.4K

$108 MX$1,888

-25.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 ₡348.7K

$1,000 MX$17.5K

-23.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₡266.4K

$620 MX$10.9K

-5.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡336.3K

$2,137 MX$37.4K

-65.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ₡352.0K

$1,235 MX$21.6K

-37.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,865 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,332 MX$40.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,331 ₡605.4K

$1,067 MX$18.7K

24.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

-11.82%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Cartago: April 26, 2026

Última actualización para Mexico City: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Cartago and $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 25% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $31.00 in Cartago vs $53.0 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $315 vs $286, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Cartago vs Mexico City: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Cartago pays 25% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $767 in Cartago versus $1,000 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cartago runs roughly 272% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,476 in Cartago versus $1,484 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cartago but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cartago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cartago 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, Cartago 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cartago wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.