Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castanhal and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $879 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Castanhal
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Castanhal Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $879 in Castanhal versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Castanhal $879
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,407 in Castanhal versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Castanhal $1,407
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,936 in Castanhal versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Castanhal $1,936
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Castanhal costs roughly 43% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Castanhal is 35% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 R$31.34

$11.02 MX$204

-43.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.20 R$163

$48.68 MX$900

-33.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 R$39.25

$10.90 MX$201

-28.99%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.59

$3.68 MX$68.1

-43.21%

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

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.63 MX$30.18

-17.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.25 MX$23.07

-35.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.21

$3.25 MX$60.1

-38.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R$14.88

$5.53 MX$102

-46.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.70 MX$31.50

-40.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$8.67

$3.02 MX$55.8

-43.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.92 MX$35.53

-32.29%

Eggs

$2.16 R$10.95

$2.73 MX$50.5

-20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 R$47.34

$11.77 MX$218

-20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 R$21.20

$9.53 MX$176

-56.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.34 R$42.29

$14.41 MX$266

-42.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 R$11.26

$3.02 MX$55.8

-26.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.89 MX$35.01

-32.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.99 MX$36.70

-38.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.14

$2.19 MX$40.38

-26.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.92 MX$35.43

-35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.87 MX$34.49

-40.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.21

$1.44 MX$26.62

-42.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$1.27 MX$23.39

-36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$12.53

$5.22 MX$96.4

-52.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.24

$16.17 MX$299

-49.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.90 MX$35.03

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$10.54

$4.22 MX$78.0

-50.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$0.34 MX$6.30

194.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 R$221

$19.65 MX$363

122.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.48

$2.00 MX$36.90

-36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.52 MX$9.67

76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 R$40.34

$5.34 MX$98.7

49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.52 MX$28.13

-17.11%

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

$24.0K R$121.8K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

8.86%

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

$33.3K R$168.6K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

35.69%

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

$77.1 R$391

$61.1 MX$1,129

26.28%

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

$12.19 R$61.8

$28.58 MX$528

-57.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.78 R$105

$34.47 MX$637

-39.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$56.4 MX$1,042

-53.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 R$142

$24.88 MX$460

12.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R$37.38

$6.66 MX$123

10.66%

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

$285 R$1,445

$427 MX$7,891

-33.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,284 R$36.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-37.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 R$279

$67.8 MX$1,253

-18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 R$258

$52.0 MX$960

-2.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 R$463

$106 MX$1,959

-13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 R$370

$113 MX$2,080

-35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,817

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-65.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 R$1,206

$654 MX$12.1K

-63.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 R$3,475

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-70.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 R$2,437

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-61.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-52.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-38.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-2.65%

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

Last update for Castanhal: 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

Castanhal

$238 27.1%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 175% $416

Groceries & Markets

Castanhal

$192 21.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 65.3% $126

Eating Out

Castanhal

$122 13.9%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 66.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Castanhal

$122 13.8%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 25.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castanhal

$110 12.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 12.7% $14

Getting Around

Castanhal

$54 6.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 52.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Castanhal

$41 4.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 70% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Castanhal and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Castanhal vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $318 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

3 h behind Castanhal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

192,256

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 22, 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 22, 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

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Between locations

Castanhal Mexico City 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Castanhal
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

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

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,318 in Castanhal and $2,322 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Castanhal versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $879 per month in Castanhal versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $879 in Castanhal versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.