Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Puerto Penasco

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Penasco: $1,205 a month against $1,619 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dili outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Penasco
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Puerto Penasco Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,619

/mo nomad

Puerto Penasco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dili and in Puerto Penasco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dili and in Puerto Penasco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Dili vs $1,205 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Dili $1,619
Puerto Penasco $1,205

A couple spends around $2,517 per month in Dili vs $1,921 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Dili $2,517
Puerto Penasco $1,921

A family of three spends $3,415 per month in Dili vs $2,638 in Puerto Penasco, rent included.

Dili $3,415
Puerto Penasco $2,638

Dili costs about 34% more than Puerto Penasco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dili sits 19% above the global median, while Puerto Penasco is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 $4.87

$12.28 MX$227

-60.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.68 $49.68

$44.08 MX$814

12.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.16 $8.16

$8.65 MX$160

-5.66%

Cappuccino

$3.79 $3.79

$4.66 MX$86.2

-18.67%

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

$1.71 $1.71

$1.41 MX$26.04

21.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.03 MX$19.09

180.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.50 MX$46.15

19.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.92 MX$72.5

1.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.57 MX$28.93

52.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 $2.51

$3.01 MX$55.6

-16.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.72 MX$31.83

-44.19%

Eggs

$2.76 $2.76

$3.02 MX$55.8

-8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.97 $1.97

$4.78 MX$88.4

-58.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 $9.22

$10.73 MX$198

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.85 $15.85

$9.46 MX$175

67.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$4.32 MX$79.9

-20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.91 MX$35.29

-5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.07 MX$56.7

-17.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.10 MX$38.82

13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.93 MX$35.60

-38.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$2.00 MX$36.97

-42.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.46 MX$27.00

-41.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.55 MX$28.58

-34.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 $3.06

$4.39 MX$81.1

-30.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 $11.89

$13.62 MX$252

-12.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.56 MX$28.84

46.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.50 MX$27.65

92.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.63 MX$11.72

-58.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.55 $30.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.14 MX$39.60

59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.96 MX$54.7

26.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.74 $19.74

$10.94 MX$202

80.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.40 MX$25.79

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

$17.7K $17.7K

$20.9K MX$386.8K

-15.62%

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

$17.1K $17.1K

$24.4K MX$451.5K

-29.83%

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

$151 $151

$70.4 MX$1,302

114.62%

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

$27.78 $27.78

$12.65 MX$234

119.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.57 MX$787

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 $76.2

$33.27 MX$615

129.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.79 MX$366

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 $5.84

$5.32 MX$98.3

9.77%

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

$1,514 $1,514

$223 MX$4,112

580.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K $16.0K

$4,550 MX$84.1K

251.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$54.1 MX$1,000

9.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.72 $29.72

$41.03 MX$758

-27.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.5 $81.5

$100 MX$1,852

-18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 $60.2

$90.5 MX$1,673

-33.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 $815

$527 MX$9,747

54.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$769 $769

$388 MX$7,161

98.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,784 $2,784

$916 MX$16.9K

203.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 $1,520

$757 MX$14.0K

100.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,900 MX$35.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,531 $3,531

$583 MX$10.8K

506.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

10.55

-49.10%

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

Last update for Dili: October 18, 2026

Last update for Puerto Penasco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$769 47.5%

Puerto Penasco

$388 32.2% 49.6% $381

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$276 17%

Puerto Penasco

$289 24% 4.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.1%

Puerto Penasco

$126 10.4% 29.8% $53

Eating Out

Dili

$150 9.3%

Puerto Penasco

$210 17.5% 40% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.4%

Puerto Penasco

$129 10.7% 24% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$88 5.4%

Puerto Penasco

$44 3.6% 50.1% $44

Getting Around

Dili

$54 3.3%

Puerto Penasco

$19 * 1.6% 63.7% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $815 in Dili versus $527 in Puerto Penasco. 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 506% higher in Dili, 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 $50.0 in Dili versus $44.00 in Puerto Penasco. Groceries tell a different story – $276 in Dili vs $289 in Puerto Penasco – so Dili wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇲🇽 Puerto Penasco

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

18:46 6:46 PM

16 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

56,756

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Puerto Penasco 13,420 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
Puerto Penasco

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

Dili vs Puerto Penasco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,429 per month in Dili and $1,807 in Puerto Penasco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Penasco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dili and $44.00 in Puerto Penasco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Dili – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Penasco, where all-in costs run around $1,205, than in Dili at $1,619. In Puerto Penasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Puerto Penasco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Puerto Penasco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.