Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,251 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Fajardo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,251
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,567
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

  • Fajardo $1,251
  • Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,962 in Fajardo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

  • Fajardo $1,962
  • Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,674 in Fajardo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

  • Fajardo $2,674
  • Mexico City $3,333

Living in Fajardo costs roughly 20% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fajardo is 7% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.97 $9.97
$10.75 MX$199
-7.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.7 $80.7
$50.3 MX$929
60.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.09 $9.09
$11.10 MX$205
-18.11%
Cappuccino
$3.69 $3.69
$3.68 MX$68.1
0.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 $1.84
$1.65 MX$30.42
11.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.30 MX$24.08
11.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.02 $3.02
$3.32 MX$61.3
-9.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.13 $5.13
$5.54 MX$102
-7.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 $2.14
$1.77 MX$32.68
20.90%
White Bread (500g)
$3.72 $3.72
$3.05 MX$56.4
21.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 $2.34
$2.01 MX$37.20
16.42%
Eggs
$7.62 $7.62
$2.77 MX$51.1
175.09%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.30 $12.30
$11.91 MX$220
3.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.37 $9.37
$9.33 MX$172
0.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.16 $13.16
$15.02 MX$278
-12.38%
Apples (1kg)
$4.97 $4.97
$3.08 MX$56.8
61.36%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 $2.67
$1.95 MX$35.97
36.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.97 $4.97
$2.03 MX$37.54
144.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$2.21 MX$40.92
122.17%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 $3.72
$2.02 MX$37.41
84.16%
Onion (1kg)
$3.87 $3.87
$1.82 MX$33.67
112.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.36 $3.36
$1.52 MX$28.07
121.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.28 MX$23.65
29.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.26 $11.26
$5.27 MX$97.4
113.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.57 $15.57
$16.12 MX$298
-3.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.02 $3.02
$1.95 MX$36.05
54.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.06 $4.06
$4.25 MX$78.6
-4.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.31 MX$5.82
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.85 MX$367
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.43 $2.43
$2.00 MX$36.93
21.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 $1.46
$0.53 MX$9.86
175.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.97 $41.97
$5.62 MX$104
646.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 $1.23
$1.52 MX$28.07
-19.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K $40.3K
$21.0K MX$388.7K
91.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K $27.5K
$25.2K MX$465.3K
9.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$325 $325
$62.5 MX$1,155
419.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.1 $70.1
$28.77 MX$532
143.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.4 $69.4
$34.45 MX$637
101.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$57.1 MX$1,055
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.81 MX$458
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.38 $10.38
$6.67 MX$123
55.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$809 $809
$431 MX$7,964
87.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.4K $12.4K
$11.7K MX$216.9K
5.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.0 $56.0
$70.8 MX$1,308
-20.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 $61.1
$51.8 MX$958
17.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 $109
$109 MX$2,011
-0.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$112 MX$2,076
1.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$982 $982
$1,051 MX$19.4K
-6.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$665 MX$12.3K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,346 MX$43.3K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,227 MX$22.7K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,554 MX$65.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,977 MX$36.5K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fajardo
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$975 MX$18.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
11.3
-42.04%

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

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fajardo
$464
Mexico City
$126 72.9% $338
Groceries & Markets
Fajardo
$414
Mexico City
$323 22% $91
Eating Out
Fajardo
$190
Mexico City
$203 6.9% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Fajardo
$153
Mexico City
$155 1.2% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Fajardo
$21 *
Mexico City
$70 240% $50
Getting Around
Fajardo
$9.7 *
Mexico City
$26 166% $16
Accommodation & Living
Fajardo
- *
Mexico City
$665

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 $982 in Fajardo and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Fajardo vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇷 Fajardo
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
13:58 1:58 PM
11:58 11:58 AM
2 h behind Fajardo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,647
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fajardo Mexico City 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fajardo
  • 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
Fajardo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fajardo or Mexico City?
Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Fajardo and in Mexico City?
You'd need roughly $1,876 in Fajardo and $2,351 in Mexico City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Fajardo compared to Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $982 in Fajardo versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Fajardo or in Mexico City?
Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
How much does it cost to live in Fajardo compared to Mexico City?
All in, you'll spend $1,251 per month in Fajardo versus $1,567 in Mexico City – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Fajardo or in Mexico City?
At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fajardo or Mexico City?
Both work as nomad bases, but Fajardo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fajardo hard to pass up.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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