Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Mexico City $3,323

Chaves is about 31% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chaves sits 21% below the global median, while Mexico City is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$11.02 MX$204

-27.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$48.68 MX$900

-54.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$10.90 MX$201

-28.62%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$3.68 MX$68.1

-58.15%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.63 MX$30.18

-8.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.25 MX$23.07

-54.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.25 MX$60.1

-29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$5.53 MX$102

-50.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.70 MX$31.50

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$3.02 MX$55.8

-62.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.92 MX$35.53

-41.15%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.73 MX$50.5

11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$11.77 MX$218

-47.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$9.53 MX$176

-31.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$14.41 MX$266

-28.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$3.02 MX$55.8

-62.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.89 MX$35.01

-39.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.99 MX$36.70

-44.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.19 MX$40.38

-49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.92 MX$35.43

5.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.87 MX$34.49

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.44 MX$26.62

-2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$1.27 MX$23.39

-37.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$5.22 MX$96.4

14.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$16.17 MX$299

-75.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.90 MX$35.03

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$4.22 MX$78.0

-72.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.34 MX$6.30

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$19.65 MX$363

40.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$2.00 MX$36.90

98.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.52 MX$9.67

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$5.34 MX$98.7

270.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.52 MX$28.13

28.29%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

54.58%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

53.41%

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

$134 €119

$61.1 MX$1,129

118.80%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$28.58 MX$528

-37.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$34.47 MX$637

-8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$56.4 MX$1,042

-55.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$24.88 MX$460

-77.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$6.66 MX$123

7.21%

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

$223 €199

$427 MX$7,891

-47.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-68.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$67.8 MX$1,253

6.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$52.0 MX$960

-56.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$106 MX$1,959

-40.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$113 MX$2,080

-19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-53.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$654 MX$12.1K

-42.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-58.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-40.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-23.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$964 MX$17.8K

5.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

-73.45%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 73.1% $276

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Mexico City

$124 8% 32.2% $59

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 74.3% $136

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 55.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 36.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 76.3% $30

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 33.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves 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 5% higher in Chaves, 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 $22.00 in Chaves versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $318 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

07:16 7:16 AM

7 h behind Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chaves Mexico City 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

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

Mexico City costs about 46% more than Chaves, 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 $1,596 per month in Chaves 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 Chaves, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $223 per month in Chaves 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 Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Chaves 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. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chaves. 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.