Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayo Coco and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,236 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cayo Coco
🇨🇺 Cuba
$1,236
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,548
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,236 in Cayo Coco versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

  • Cayo Coco $1,236
  • Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,692 in Cayo Coco versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

  • Cayo Coco $1,692
  • Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,148 in Cayo Coco versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

  • Cayo Coco $2,148
  • Mexico City $3,323

Living in Cayo Coco costs roughly 20% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cayo Coco is 9% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.92 CUP 118
$11.02 MX$204
-55.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.82 CUP 356
$48.68 MX$900
-69.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.98 CUP 168
$10.90 MX$201
-35.96%
Cappuccino
$1.02 CUP 24.56
$3.68 MX$68.1
-72.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 CUP 46.75
$1.63 MX$30.18
19.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 CUP 24.53
$1.25 MX$23.07
-18.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.01 CUP 48.33
$3.25 MX$60.1
-38.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 CUP 73.9
$5.53 MX$102
-44.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.05 CUP 73.3
$1.70 MX$31.50
79.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 CUP 24.60
$3.02 MX$55.8
-65.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.04 CUP 48.95
$1.92 MX$35.53
6.25%
Eggs
$3.71 CUP 88.9
$2.73 MX$50.5
35.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.11 CUP 147
$11.77 MX$218
-48.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 CUP 117
$9.53 MX$176
-49.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.97 CUP 239
$14.41 MX$266
-30.81%
Apples (1kg)
$5.12 CUP 123
$3.02 MX$55.8
69.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 CUP 24.42
$1.89 MX$35.01
-46.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 CUP 24.52
$1.99 MX$36.70
-48.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.97 CUP 23.34
$2.19 MX$40.38
-55.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 CUP 24.36
$1.92 MX$35.43
-47.40%
Onion (1kg)
$3.06 CUP 73.4
$1.87 MX$34.49
63.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 CUP 23.39
$1.44 MX$26.62
-32.64%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 CUP 23.42
$1.27 MX$23.39
-22.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.03 CUP 72.8
$5.22 MX$96.4
-41.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.83 CUP 236
$16.17 MX$299
-39.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 CUP 46.69
$1.90 MX$35.03
2.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 CUP 48.42
$4.22 MX$78.0
-52.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.34 MX$6.30
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.63 CUP 471
$19.65 MX$363
-0.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.03 CUP 24.64
$2.00 MX$36.90
-48.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.03 CUP 24.67
$0.52 MX$9.67
98.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.65 CUP 472
$5.34 MX$98.7
267.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.02 CUP 24.42
$1.52 MX$28.13
-32.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$69.0K CUP 1.7M
$22.1K MX$408.0K
212.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$79.6K CUP 1.9M
$24.5K MX$452.9K
224.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.88 CUP 957
$61.1 MX$1,129
-34.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.74 CUP 978
$28.58 MX$528
42.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$223 CUP 5,340
$34.47 MX$637
545.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.30 CUP 967
$56.4 MX$1,042
-28.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.86 CUP 237
$24.88 MX$460
-60.37%
Cinema Ticket
$1.02 CUP 24.46
$6.66 MX$123
-84.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$90.0 CUP 2,160
$427 MX$7,891
-78.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K CUP 359.4K
$11.6K MX$215.0K
28.70%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.51 CUP 972
$67.8 MX$1,253
-40.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.52 CUP 708
$52.0 MX$960
-43.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.2 CUP 1,806
$106 MX$1,959
-29.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 CUP 1,917
$113 MX$2,080
-29.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 CUP 9,451
$1,025 MX$18.9K
-61.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$427 CUP 10.3K
$654 MX$12.1K
-34.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,071 CUP 25.7K
$2,308 MX$42.7K
-53.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 CUP 14.8K
$1,242 MX$22.9K
-50.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$296 CUP 7,112
$3,613 MX$66.8K
-91.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$356 CUP 8,534
$1,936 MX$35.8K
-81.63%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cayo Coco
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$19.74 CUP 474
$964 MX$17.8K
-97.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
11.3
-11.50%

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

Last update for Cayo Coco: 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
Cayo Coco
$427
Mexico City
$654 53.2% $227
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cayo Coco
$303
Mexico City
$124 59.1% $179
Groceries & Markets
Cayo Coco
$235
Mexico City
$318 35.3% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Cayo Coco
$101
Mexico City
$152 50.3% $51
Eating Out
Cayo Coco
$101
Mexico City
$204 102% $103
Sport & Entertainment
Cayo Coco
$42
Mexico City
$70 64.6% $27
Getting Around
Cayo Coco
$26 *
Mexico City
$26 0.7% $0.2

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 $394 in Cayo Coco and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 4784% 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: $15.00 in Cayo Coco vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $318 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇺 Cayo Coco
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
08:54 8:54 AM
06:54 6:54 AM
2 h behind Cayo Coco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cayo Coco Mexico City 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cayo Coco
  • Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Cayo Coco vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cayo Coco or Mexico City?
Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Cayo Coco or in Mexico City?
On paper, salaries run 4784% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cayo Coco compared to Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $394 in Cayo Coco versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Cayo Coco compared to Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 0% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Cayo Coco and in Mexico City?
Childcare runs $90.0 in Cayo Coco versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cayo Coco or in Mexico City?
At $1,236 in Cayo Coco versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cayo Coco but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cayo Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cayo Coco or Mexico City?
Both work as nomad bases, but Cayo Coco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,236 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cayo Coco hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cayo Coco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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