Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $547 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cerro de Pasco, Peru
Mexico City, Mexico
Cerro de Pasco
🇵🇪 Peru
$547
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $547 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $547
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $883 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $883
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $1,218
  • Mexico City $3,490

Cerro de Pasco is about 66% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerro de Pasco sits 60% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.84 PEN 9.80
$10.62 MX$199
-73.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.57 PEN 102
$48.35 MX$904
-38.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.04 PEN 24.27
$10.35 MX$193
-31.98%
Cappuccino
$1.99 PEN 6.86
$3.69 MX$69.0
-46.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 PEN 2.44
$1.67 MX$31.14
-57.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 PEN 1.57
$1.27 MX$23.65
-64.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.68 PEN 9.24
$3.19 MX$59.7
-15.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 PEN 15.09
$5.31 MX$99.2
-17.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 PEN 5.08
$1.72 MX$32.23
-14.53%
White Bread (500g)
$2.34 PEN 8.07
$3.04 MX$56.8
-23.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.34
$1.94 MX$36.27
-35.05%
Eggs
$2.38 PEN 8.20
$2.89 MX$54.0
-17.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.22 PEN 31.77
$10.97 MX$205
-15.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.81 PEN 20.02
$9.25 MX$173
-37.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.02 PEN 27.64
$15.13 MX$283
-46.99%
Apples (1kg)
$1.96 PEN 6.76
$3.05 MX$57.0
-35.74%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 PEN 2.59
$1.94 MX$36.27
-61.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.45 PEN 1.57
$2.03 MX$37.85
-77.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 PEN 3.95
$2.31 MX$43.25
-50.22%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 PEN 2.61
$2.04 MX$38.03
-62.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.51 PEN 1.74
$1.80 MX$33.63
-71.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 PEN 3.11
$1.48 MX$27.64
-39.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 PEN 3.04
$1.27 MX$23.69
-30.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.83 PEN 20.10
$5.30 MX$99.1
10.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.07 PEN 24.37
$16.10 MX$301
-56.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 PEN 6.62
$1.98 MX$37.06
-3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 PEN 8.95
$4.25 MX$79.5
-38.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.31 MX$5.70
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.73 MX$369
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 PEN 11.80
$1.84 MX$34.34
85.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 PEN 6.84
$0.53 MX$9.97
275.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 PEN 26.37
$5.30 MX$99.0
44.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.71 PEN 5.91
$1.51 MX$28.23
13.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K PEN 74.5K
$21.8K MX$406.5K
-0.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K PEN 98.0K
$24.0K MX$448.2K
18.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.2 PEN 235
$63.0 MX$1,177
8.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.73 PEN 54.2
$27.39 MX$512
-42.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.89 PEN 92.7
$35.67 MX$666
-24.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$58.9 MX$1,101
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$23.64 MX$442
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.33 PEN 25.28
$6.40 MX$120
14.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 PEN 1,056
$432 MX$8,065
-29.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.0K PEN 44.8K
$11.4K MX$213.5K
13.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.3 PEN 180
$68.2 MX$1,275
-23.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.37 PEN 122
$53.1 MX$993
-33.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 PEN 291
$108 MX$2,014
-21.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.8 PEN 268
$117 MX$2,191
-33.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$710 MX$13.3K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$405 PEN 1,396
$2,588 MX$48.4K
-84.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,406 MX$26.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,631 MX$67.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,135 MX$39.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cerro de Pasco
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$463 PEN 1,597
$946 MX$17.7K
-51.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.78
11.35
-22.64%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
$202
Mexico City
$320 58.4% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
$112
Mexico City
$156 38.7% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
$111
Mexico City
$126 13.8% $15
Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
$95
Mexico City
$199 110% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
$15 *
Mexico City
$72 389% $57
Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
$13 *
Mexico City
$25 90.7% $12
Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
- *
Mexico City
$710

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $320 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
11:55 11:55 AM
10:55 10:55 AM
1 h behind Cerro de Pasco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,899
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.45 PEN (1 PEN = 0.29 USD). 1 EUR = 3.84 PEN (1 PEN = 0.261 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cerro de Pasco Mexico City 4,180 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cerro de Pasco
  • 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
Cerro de Pasco vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cerro de Pasco cheaper than Mexico City?
Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 194%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $821 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Cerro de Pasco or in Mexico City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Cerro de Pasco and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Cerro de Pasco and in Mexico City?
Groceries cost about 58% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Cerro de Pasco or in Mexico City?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $547, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Cerro de Pasco or in Mexico City?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $547 in Cerro de Pasco to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. 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.

Cerro de Pasco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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