Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Desamparados and in Mexico City: $1,692 and $1,674 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,692

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Desamparados vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Desamparados $1,692
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $2,664 per month in Desamparados vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Desamparados $2,664
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $3,636 per month in Desamparados vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Desamparados $3,636
Mexico City $3,537

Desamparados and Mexico City have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Desamparados and Mexico City sit above the global median – Desamparados by 25%, Mexico City by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.32 ₡5,539

$10.59 MX$197

16.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 ₡26.4K

$52.0 MX$967

13.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,201

$10.73 MX$200

7.74%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,936

$3.80 MX$70.6

13.16%

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

$2.66 ₡1,195

$1.61 MX$30.01

65.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡863

$1.21 MX$22.55

58.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ₡1,450

$3.18 MX$59.1

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ₡1,954

$5.44 MX$101

-20.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$1.72 MX$31.96

36.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 ₡1,243

$2.97 MX$55.2

-6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,124

$1.93 MX$35.84

29.53%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,604

$2.77 MX$51.6

28.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ₡4,886

$11.67 MX$217

-6.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,624

$9.48 MX$176

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 ₡6,383

$15.37 MX$286

-7.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.22 ₡2,348

$3.10 MX$57.8

68.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡716

$1.96 MX$36.49

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 ₡1,473

$1.98 MX$36.88

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,549

$2.34 MX$43.46

47.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 ₡1,395

$2.02 MX$37.66

53.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,452

$1.82 MX$33.95

77.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡470

$1.54 MX$28.74

-31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$1.31 MX$24.42

106.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,505

$5.35 MX$99.6

4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.73 ₡7,526

$16.19 MX$301

3.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₡1,169

$1.96 MX$36.46

32.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,233

$4.35 MX$81.0

-37.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡586

$0.30 MX$5.67

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.92 MX$35.68

30.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡694

$0.47 MX$8.80

227.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ₡3,917

$5.41 MX$101

61.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 MX$27.61

2.70%

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

$33.7K ₡15.1M

$21.4K MX$397.7K

57.60%

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

$42.4K ₡19.1M

$23.8K MX$442.1K

78.63%

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

$93.1 ₡41.8K

$62.0 MX$1,154

50.10%

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

$29.52 ₡13.3K

$28.47 MX$530

3.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.5K

$34.11 MX$635

72.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 ₡31.0K

$58.4 MX$1,087

18.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 ₡3,368

$6.59 MX$123

13.66%

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

$845 ₡380.0K

$434 MX$8,081

94.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$14.0K MX$261.2K

22.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$68.4 MX$1,272

5.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$54.8 MX$1,020

1.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.1K

$111 MX$2,063

14.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$116 MX$2,158

15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 ₡359.7K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-32.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 ₡286.1K

$771 MX$14.3K

-17.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 ₡844.1K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₡557.6K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-12.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

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

Last update for Desamparados: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Desamparados

$636 37.6%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 21.2% $135

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$372 22%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 13.1% $49

Eating Out

Desamparados

$228 13.5%

Mexico City

$201 12% 12% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$181 10.7%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 31.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$175 10.3%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 9.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$84 5%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 14.8% $12

Getting Around

Desamparados

$15 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 62% $9.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Desamparados versus $1,179 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Desamparados versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $324 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

Same time as Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Desamparados Mexico City 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Desamparados
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Desamparados and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Desamparados, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $800 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $845 per month in Desamparados and $434 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Desamparados, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Desamparados and $1,674 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,674 in Mexico City to $1,692 in Desamparados. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.