Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Criciuma and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $769 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
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Criciuma Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$769

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Criciuma versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Criciuma $769
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,146 in Criciuma versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Criciuma $1,146
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,523 in Criciuma versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Criciuma $1,523
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Criciuma costs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Criciuma is 43% below, Mexico City is 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 R$29.43

$11.02 MX$204

-47.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 R$113

$48.68 MX$900

-54.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 R$30.09

$10.90 MX$201

-45.50%

Cappuccino

$1.39 R$7.05

$3.68 MX$68.1

-62.23%

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

$1.09 R$5.52

$1.63 MX$30.18

-33.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.71

$1.25 MX$23.07

-41.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 R$7.90

$3.25 MX$60.1

-52.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R$10.16

$5.53 MX$102

-63.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.70 MX$31.50

-42.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.55

$3.02 MX$55.8

-50.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.57

$1.92 MX$35.53

-42.71%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.13

$2.73 MX$50.5

-26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R$42.12

$11.77 MX$218

-29.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 R$17.78

$9.53 MX$176

-63.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 R$44.15

$14.41 MX$266

-39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R$10.34

$3.02 MX$55.8

-32.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.89 MX$35.01

-35.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.99 MX$36.70

-50.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.98

$2.19 MX$40.38

-28.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.92 MX$35.43

-36.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$1.87 MX$34.49

-41.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.44 MX$26.62

-43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.52

$1.27 MX$23.39

-45.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.46

$5.22 MX$96.4

-52.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R$23.97

$16.17 MX$299

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.68

$1.90 MX$35.03

-41.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$4.22 MX$78.0

-66.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$0.34 MX$6.30

194.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 R$203

$19.65 MX$363

104.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 R$2.54

$2.00 MX$36.90

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.01

$0.52 MX$9.67

51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 R$11.84

$5.34 MX$98.7

-56.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.63

$1.52 MX$28.13

-13.82%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

6.18%

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

$30.9K R$156.9K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

26.25%

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

$72.1 R$365

$61.1 MX$1,129

18.03%

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

$12.31 R$62.4

$28.58 MX$528

-56.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.92 R$111

$34.47 MX$637

-36.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 R$145

$56.4 MX$1,042

-49.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.86 R$202

$24.88 MX$460

60.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R$36.25

$6.66 MX$123

7.36%

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

$170 R$861

$427 MX$7,891

-60.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,980 R$15.1K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-74.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.26 R$250

$67.8 MX$1,253

-27.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.58 R$150

$52.0 MX$960

-43.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 R$414

$106 MX$1,959

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 R$215

$113 MX$2,080

-62.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,227

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-76.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 R$1,063

$654 MX$12.1K

-67.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 R$2,072

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-82.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 R$1,370

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-78.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 R$6,054

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-66.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 R$3,209

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-67.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 R$1,606

$964 MX$17.8K

-67.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.74

11.3

-4.96%

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

Last update for Criciuma: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Criciuma

$210 27.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 212% $445

Groceries & Markets

Criciuma

$170 22.1%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 87% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Criciuma

$106 13.8%

Mexico City

$124 8% 16.8% $18

Eating Out

Criciuma

$100 13%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 104% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Criciuma

$91 11.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 66.7% $61

Getting Around

Criciuma

$49 6.3%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 47.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Criciuma

$43 5.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 62.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Criciuma and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 204% 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: $22.00 in Criciuma vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $318 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

3 h behind Criciuma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,493

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Criciuma Mexico City 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Criciuma
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

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

Criciuma is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 204% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $242 in Criciuma versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Criciuma runs roughly 104% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $170 in Criciuma versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $769 in Criciuma versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Criciuma is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Criciuma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.