Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Mexico City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,195 in Cascais versus $1,467 in Mexico City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Cascais versus $2,371 in Mexico City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Cascais versus $3,274 in Mexico City.

Living in Cascais is roughly 50% more expensive than Mexico City, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cascais 64% above, Mexico City 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 €12.17

$13.18 MX$228

7.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 €39.87

$53.9 MX$931

-14.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 €7.82

$9.42 MX$163

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$2.89 €2.49

$3.55 MX$61.3

-18.59%

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

$2.15 €1.85

$1.62 MX$27.95

32.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.11 MX$19.25

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 €1.93

$3.12 MX$53.9

-27.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €2.97

$4.63 MX$80.0

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.92

$1.70 MX$29.40

-37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.57

$2.72 MX$46.97

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 €1.62

$1.91 MX$33.04

-1.57%

Eggs

$3.08 €2.65

$2.54 MX$43.82

21.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 €9.58

$10.03 MX$173

10.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.69

$8.09 MX$140

-3.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.42

$11.62 MX$201

24.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.14

$2.97 MX$51.3

-16.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.47

$1.81 MX$31.21

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.69

$2.01 MX$34.79

-2.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.50

$2.03 MX$35.16

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.26

$2.12 MX$36.71

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.77

$2.27 MX$39.21

-9.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.48

$1.40 MX$24.20

22.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.81

$1.13 MX$19.53

-16.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.22

$4.27 MX$73.8

42.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €6.85

$15.56 MX$269

-48.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.09

$1.76 MX$30.36

-27.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.27

$3.60 MX$62.1

-26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 €2.29

$0.38 MX$6.62

602.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.99 €40.46

$19.18 MX$331

144.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 €3.49

$1.38 MX$23.77

194.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.74

$0.28 MX$4.78

207.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.53 €12.51

$5.45 MX$94.1

166.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.30 MX$22.53

52.31%

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

$34.9K €30.0K

$18.7K MX$322.9K

86.57%

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

$40.0K €34.5K

$23.1K MX$399.7K

73.06%

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

$147 €127

$40.86 MX$706

259.96%

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

$21.49 €18.50

$26.81 MX$463

-19.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.98 €36.14

$29.96 MX$518

40.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 €59.3

$52.0 MX$899

32.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 €9.79

$26.84 MX$464

-57.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 €7.25

$6.30 MX$109

33.65%

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

$616 €530

$436 MX$7,536

41.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €13.9K

$10.4K MX$180.0K

55.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 €75.3

$56.7 MX$979

54.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 €33.08

$44.38 MX$767

-13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 €79.8

$103 MX$1,779

-9.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 €81.0

$106 MX$1,823

-10.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 €1,474

$1,022 MX$17.7K

67.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,100

$631 MX$10.9K

102.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,794 €3,266

$2,136 MX$36.9K

77.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,243

$1,243 MX$21.5K

109.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,217 €6,213

$3,903 MX$67.4K

84.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,058 €4,354

$2,064 MX$35.7K

145.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,300 €1,980

$1,115 MX$19.3K

106.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

11.34

-66.40%

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

Last update for Cascais: June 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,712 in Cascais and $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 106% 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: $46.00 in Cascais vs $54.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $288 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

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

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

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Cascais pays 106% 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: $1,712 in Cascais versus $1,022 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $46.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,467 in Mexico City versus $2,195 in Cascais, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Cascais 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.