Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,438 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,438

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,438 per month in Castries vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Castries $1,438
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $2,357 per month in Castries vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Castries $2,357
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $3,276 per month in Castries vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Castries $3,276
Mexico City $3,323

Castries is about 7% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Castries and Mexico City sit above the global median – Castries by 6%, Mexico City by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 EC$25.52

$11.02 MX$204

-14.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 EC$199

$48.68 MX$900

51.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.56 EC$23.12

$10.90 MX$201

-21.47%

Cappuccino

$3.81 EC$10.29

$3.68 MX$68.1

3.53%

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

$1.98 EC$5.34

$1.63 MX$30.18

21.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 EC$2.65

$1.25 MX$23.07

-21.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 EC$7.58

$3.25 MX$60.1

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 EC$8.75

$5.53 MX$102

-41.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 EC$5.48

$1.70 MX$31.50

19.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 EC$4.88

$3.02 MX$55.8

-40.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 EC$4.46

$1.92 MX$35.53

-14.06%

Eggs

$4.74 EC$12.81

$2.73 MX$50.5

73.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.00 EC$29.69

$11.77 MX$218

-6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 EC$24.46

$9.53 MX$176

-4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 EC$39.15

$14.41 MX$266

0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$8.79 EC$23.73

$3.02 MX$55.8

191.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 EC$4.34

$1.89 MX$35.01

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.28 EC$22.36

$1.99 MX$36.70

316.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$14.53 EC$39.22

$2.19 MX$40.38

563.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 EC$9.31

$1.92 MX$35.43

79.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 EC$5.37

$1.87 MX$34.49

6.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 EC$6.16

$1.44 MX$26.62

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 EC$3.47

$1.27 MX$23.39

0.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 EC$24.77

$5.22 MX$96.4

75.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 EC$29.66

$16.17 MX$299

-32.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 EC$5.97

$1.90 MX$35.03

16.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.40 EC$14.57

$4.22 MX$78.0

27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 EC$2.93

$0.34 MX$6.30

217.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.47 EC$25.57

$2.00 MX$36.90

373.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 EC$4.21

$1.52 MX$28.13

2.63%

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

$26.0K EC$70.1K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

17.64%

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

$37.1K EC$100.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

51.45%

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

$121 EC$327

$61.1 MX$1,129

98.26%

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

$87.8 EC$237

$28.58 MX$528

207.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.26 EC$133

$34.47 MX$637

42.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.19 EC$111

$56.4 MX$1,042

-26.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$5.67 EC$15.30

$6.66 MX$123

-14.86%

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

$214 EC$579

$427 MX$7,891

-49.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 EC$222

$67.8 MX$1,253

21.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 EC$137

$52.0 MX$960

-2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 EC$294

$106 MX$1,959

2.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 EC$301

$113 MX$2,080

-0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 EC$1,212

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 EC$937

$654 MX$12.1K

-46.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 EC$3,300

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-47.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 EC$1,910

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-43.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$102 EC$274

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-97.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$64.5 EC$174

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-96.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 EC$2,952

$964 MX$17.8K

13.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

11.3

-31.42%

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

Last update for Castries: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Castries

$428 29.7%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 25.6% $110

Accommodation & Living

Castries

$347 24.2%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 88.4% $307

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castries

$258 18%

Mexico City

$124 8% 51.9% $134

Eating Out

Castries

$179 12.5%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 13.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Castries

$159 11.1%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 4.2% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Castries

$53 3.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 32.7% $17

Getting Around

Castries

$14 * 1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 85.6% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $449 in Castries 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 13% higher in Castries, 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 $74.0 in Castries versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $318 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Castries

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

22:29 10:29 PM

2 h behind Castries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Castries Mexico City 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Castries
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

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

Mexico City costs about 8% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,157 per month in Castries and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,438 in Castries and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Castries and $427 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castries, where all-in costs run around $1,438, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Castries it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castries costs $1,438 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Castries. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.