Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Dominican Republic and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in the Dominican Republic: $1,044 a month against $1,274 in Mexico, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in the Dominican Republic
Learn more

Dominican Republic Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
Learn more

Mexico Living Index

Jump to prices

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,044

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Dominican Republic and in Mexico

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,044 in the Dominican Republic versus $1,274 in Mexico.

Dominican Republic $1,044
Mexico $1,274

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in the Dominican Republic versus $2,010 in Mexico.

Dominican Republic $1,664
Mexico $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,284 in the Dominican Republic versus $2,746 in Mexico.

Dominican Republic $2,284
Mexico $2,746

Internal cost variation is higher in Mexico: monthly costs span $730 to $2,625, compared to $589–$1,424 in the Dominican Republic. City choice carries more weight in Mexico.

Living in the Dominican Republic costs about 18% less than in Mexico on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: the Dominican Republic 23% lower, Mexico 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.41 DOP 508

$10.63 MX$201

-20.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.89 DOP 3,013

$43.29 MX$817

15.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 DOP 454

$8.94 MX$169

-15.88%

Cappuccino

$2.02 DOP 122

$3.61 MX$68.1

-44.04%

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

$0.94 DOP 56.9

$1.48 MX$27.84

-36.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 DOP 39.07

$1.00 MX$18.86

-35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 DOP 149

$2.67 MX$50.3

-7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 DOP 254

$4.37 MX$82.4

-3.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 DOP 79.8

$1.59 MX$29.91

-16.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 DOP 105

$2.67 MX$50.5

-34.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 DOP 88.0

$1.68 MX$31.72

-13.10%

Eggs

$1.80 DOP 108

$2.52 MX$47.60

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.59 DOP 458

$8.79 MX$166

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 DOP 346

$7.97 MX$150

-28.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 DOP 402

$11.50 MX$217

-42.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 DOP 192

$2.76 MX$52.0

15.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 DOP 53.1

$1.52 MX$28.75

-42.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 DOP 159

$1.95 MX$36.87

35.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 DOP 104

$1.97 MX$37.10

-12.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 DOP 131

$1.96 MX$37.02

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 DOP 126

$2.03 MX$38.26

2.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 DOP 56.3

$1.43 MX$27.03

-34.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 DOP 55.2

$1.14 MX$21.49

-20.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 DOP 319

$4.52 MX$85.3

17.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 612

$10.87 MX$205

-6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 DOP 160

$1.77 MX$33.30

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 DOP 186

$3.19 MX$60.1

-3.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 DOP 40.42

$0.62 MX$11.70

8.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 DOP 1,166

$29.85 MX$563

-35.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 DOP 193

$2.66 MX$50.2

20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 DOP 130

$2.72 MX$51.2

-20.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 DOP 342

$10.63 MX$201

-46.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 84.2

$1.40 MX$26.37

-0.71%

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

$24.9K DOP 1.5M

$24.0K MX$452.1K

4.09%

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

$32.7K DOP 2.0M

$23.9K MX$451.2K

36.75%

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

$91.6 DOP 5,533

$69.2 MX$1,305

32.44%

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

$24.46 DOP 1,477

$23.51 MX$443

4.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.32 DOP 2,133

$29.00 MX$547

21.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.52 DOP 1,843

$34.74 MX$655

-12.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.31 DOP 1,347

$17.46 MX$329

27.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 DOP 386

$5.24 MX$98.9

21.95%

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

$209 DOP 12.6K

$261 MX$4,915

-19.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,527 DOP 394.1K

$5,999 MX$113.2K

8.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.92 DOP 2,411

$55.8 MX$1,053

-28.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.07 DOP 2,722

$41.58 MX$784

8.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 DOP 4,899

$96.3 MX$1,817

-15.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 DOP 6,356

$90.1 MX$1,699

16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 DOP 35.9K

$713 MX$13.4K

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 DOP 19.9K

$477 MX$8,997

-30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 DOP 75.2K

$1,358 MX$25.6K

-8.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 DOP 37.8K

$906 MX$17.1K

-30.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,357 DOP 142.3K

$2,597 MX$49.0K

-9.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,245 DOP 75.2K

$1,565 MX$29.5K

-20.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$541 DOP 32.7K

$773 MX$14.6K

-30.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.99

11.43

13.65%

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

Last update for the Dominican Republic: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dominican Republic

$330 31.6%

Mexico

$477 37.4% 44.7% $147

Groceries & Markets

Dominican Republic

$220 21.1%

Mexico

$267 21% 21.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dominican Republic

$151 14.5%

Mexico

$122 9.6% 19.6% $30

Eating Out

Dominican Republic

$141 13.5%

Mexico

$187 14.7% 32.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Dominican Republic

$122 11.7%

Mexico

$128 10% 4.6% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Dominican Republic

$43 4.2%

Mexico

$45 3.6% 4.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Dominican Republic

$36 3.4%

Mexico

$49 3.8% 35.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $565 in the Dominican Republic, $624 in Mexico. Capital cities: $709 in Santo Domingo vs $1,113 in Mexico City.

National salary averages: $478 in the Dominican Republic, $722 in Mexico. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Mexico.

Salaries are 51% higher in Mexico, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Mexico.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

2 h behind the Dominican Republic

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,760,028

124,777,324

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

100 MXN = 5.3 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 60.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.55 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 18.86 MXN (100 MXN = 5.3 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dominican Republic Mexico 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dominican Republic
Mexico

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

Dominican Republic vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,044 per month in the Dominican Republic and $1,274 in Mexico, the Dominican Republic comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $624 in Mexico and $565 in the Dominican Republic. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: the Dominican Republic wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.