Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,351 in Cascais, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Cascais
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Cascais Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cascais

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,351

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,351 in Cascais versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Cascais $2,351
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,777 in Cascais versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Cascais $3,777
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,204 in Cascais versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Cascais $5,204
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Cascais is roughly 46% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cascais 73% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.86 €14.21

$10.62 MX$198

49.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.62 €39.99

$48.35 MX$901

-7.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.49 €8.50

$10.35 MX$193

-8.31%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.41

$3.69 MX$68.7

-27.10%

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

$2.16 €1.94

$1.67 MX$31.05

29.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.27 MX$23.58

74.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.96

$3.19 MX$59.5

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.92

$5.31 MX$98.9

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.72 MX$32.13

-23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 €2.06

$3.04 MX$56.6

-24.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.94 MX$36.17

-15.46%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.97

$2.89 MX$53.8

14.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 €9.67

$10.97 MX$204

-1.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 €6.29

$9.25 MX$172

-24.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 €13.52

$15.13 MX$282

-0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.54

$3.05 MX$56.8

-6.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.94 MX$36.17

-22.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.03 MX$37.73

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.31 MX$43.12

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.04 MX$37.91

-23.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.80 MX$33.53

27.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.48 MX$27.56

15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.27 MX$23.62

-16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.70 €5.11

$5.30 MX$98.8

7.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.93

$16.10 MX$300

-51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.98 MX$36.95

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.96

$4.25 MX$79.2

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.31 MX$5.68

606.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.02 €40.34

$19.73 MX$368

128.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.84 MX$34.23

20.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.51 MX$28.14

36.42%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$21.8K MX$405.3K

57.17%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$24.0K MX$446.9K

58.40%

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

$134 €120

$63.0 MX$1,173

112.04%

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

$24.90 €22.31

$27.39 MX$510

-9.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €50.2

$35.67 MX$664

57.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.84 €38.39

$58.9 MX$1,098

-27.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.36 €10.18

$23.64 MX$441

-51.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 €6.38

$6.40 MX$119

11.25%

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

$839 €752

$432 MX$8,041

94.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K €16.7K

$11.4K MX$212.8K

62.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 €69.4

$68.2 MX$1,271

13.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.50 €33.60

$53.1 MX$990

-29.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.9

$108 MX$2,008

-2.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$117 MX$2,185

16.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 €1,666

$1,113 MX$20.7K

66.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 €1,217

$710 MX$13.2K

91.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,213 €3,776

$2,588 MX$48.2K

62.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,032 €2,717

$1,406 MX$26.2K

115.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,644 €6,850

$3,631 MX$67.6K

110.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,596

$2,135 MX$39.8K

140.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,246 €2,013

$946 MX$17.6K

137.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

11.35

-67.67%

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

Last update for Cascais: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cascais

$1.4K 57.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 47.7% $647

Groceries & Markets

Cascais

$273 11.6%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 17.2% $47

Eating Out

Cascais

$233 9.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 14.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cascais

$214 9.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 41.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Cascais

$160 6.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cascais

$57 2.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 25.7% $15

Getting Around

Cascais

$56 * 2.4%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 54.5% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,859 in Cascais and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $45 in Cascais vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $320 per month, with Cascais cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Cascais

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

22:26 10:26 PM

6 h behind Cascais

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,158

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Cascais Mexico City 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cascais
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

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

Mexico City is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cascais is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $1,859 in Cascais versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Cascais – a meal for two runs $45 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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