Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Pago Pago

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,059 a month against $1,479 in Pago Pago, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Pago Pago
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Pago Pago Living Index

Jump to prices

Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,059

/mo nomad

Pago Pago

🇦🇸 American Samoa

$1,479

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ensenada and in Pago Pago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,059 in Ensenada versus $1,479 in Pago Pago.

Ensenada $1,059
Pago Pago $1,479

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,687 in Ensenada versus $2,291 in Pago Pago.

Ensenada $1,687
Pago Pago $2,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,315 in Ensenada versus $3,102 in Pago Pago.

Ensenada $2,315
Pago Pago $3,102

Living in Ensenada costs roughly 28% less than in Pago Pago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ensenada is 22% below, Pago Pago is 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.64 MX$216

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.76 MX$627

$36.28 $36.28

-6.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 MX$133

$10.05 $10.05

-28.56%

Cappuccino

$2.95 MX$54.8

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

$1.17 MX$21.76

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MX$12.61

$0.98 $0.98

-30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 MX$48.57

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 MX$75.3

$3.97 $3.97

2.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 MX$32.22

$2.62 $2.62

-33.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.78

$2.92 $2.92

-11.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 MX$31.03

$4.41 $4.41

-62.13%

Eggs

$2.56 MX$47.51

$4.61 $4.61

-44.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 MX$151

$10.08 $10.08

-19.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 MX$124

$10.08 $10.08

-33.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.16 MX$188

$11.57 $11.57

-12.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.21

$6.03 $6.03

-65.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.08

$1.03 $1.03

52.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.50

$3.06 $3.06

-42.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.55

$3.97 $3.97

-62.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 MX$23.32

$4.09 $4.09

-69.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.54

$3.95 $3.95

-58.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$25.80

$1.99 $1.99

-30.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.81

$2.03 $2.03

-47.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 MX$74.5

$11.37 $11.37

-64.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.21 MX$245

$14.86 $14.86

-11.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$32.79

$0.99 $0.99

78.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 MX$46.66

$2.93 $2.93

-14.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.64

$2.02 $2.02

-60.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.91 MX$778

$126 $126

-66.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 MX$51.6

$4.95 $4.95

-43.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 MX$35.93

$1.95 $1.95

-0.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.75 MX$348

$29.48 $29.48

-36.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 MX$24.42

$1.36 $1.36

-2.94%

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

$24.0K MX$445.7K

$30.2K $30.2K

-20.42%

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

$22.8K MX$423.7K

$19.7K $19.7K

16.15%

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

$47.11 MX$874

$411 $411

-88.53%

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

$31.50 MX$585

$29.94 $29.94

5.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.23 MX$468

$73.9 $73.9

-65.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 MX$502

$50.9 $50.9

-46.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.72 MX$199

$10.12 $10.12

5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 MX$82.5

$8.75 $8.75

-49.14%

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

$190 MX$3,518

$994 $994

-80.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,882 MX$90.6K

$10.1K $10.1K

-51.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 MX$992

$69.9 $69.9

-23.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.25 MX$784

$50.2 $50.2

-15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 MX$1,854

$79.9 $79.9

25.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 MX$1,073

$99.1 $99.1

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$507 MX$9,402

$326 $326

55.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 MX$5,955

$202 $202

58.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$996 MX$18.5K

$901 $901

10.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 MX$11.7K

$706 $706

-10.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 MX$24.6K

$17.5K $17.5K

-92.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$660 MX$12.3K

$10.7K $10.7K

-93.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$748 MX$13.9K

$1,194 $1,194

-37.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

276.67%

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

Last update for Ensenada: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pago Pago: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ensenada

$321 30.3%

Pago Pago

$202 13.7% 36.9% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$248 23.4%

Pago Pago

$368 24.9% 48.4% $120

Eating Out

Ensenada

$179 16.9%

Pago Pago

$42 * 2.8% 76.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$114 10.8%

Pago Pago

$135 9.1% 18% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$104 9.8%

Pago Pago

$515 34.8% 396% $411

Getting Around

Ensenada

$58 5.4%

Pago Pago

$149 10.1% 159% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$36 3.4%

Pago Pago

$68 4.6% 90.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $507 in Ensenada and $326 in Pago Pago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pago Pago pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Ensenada vs $36 in Pago Pago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $368 per month, with Ensenada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇦🇸 Pago Pago

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

3 h behind Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

11,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.39 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.56 MXN (100 MXN = 5.39 USD). 1 EUR = 20.84 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ensenada Pago Pago 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
Pago Pago

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

Ensenada vs Pago Pago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,059 in Ensenada and $1,479 in Pago Pago, so Ensenada is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Ensenada. 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: $507 in Ensenada versus $326 in Pago Pago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,059 per month in Ensenada versus $1,479 in Pago Pago – Ensenada is about 28% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ensenada runs roughly 67% less than in Pago Pago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ensenada gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ensenada and Pago Pago are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ensenada wins on affordability, Pago Pago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.