Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Galapagos Islands and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
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Galapagos Islands Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $884
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,336 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,336
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,789 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,789
Mexico City $3,490

Galapagos Islands is about 45% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Galapagos Islands sits 35% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 $3.54

$10.62 MX$198

-66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.52 $27.52

$48.35 MX$901

-43.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 $7.27

$10.35 MX$193

-29.76%

Cappuccino

$2.50 $2.50

$3.69 MX$68.8

-32.25%

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

$0.85 $0.85

$1.67 MX$31.07

-49.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.27 MX$23.59

-48.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.19 MX$59.5

-36.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$5.31 MX$98.9

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.72 MX$32.15

-36.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 $1.62

$3.04 MX$56.7

-46.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.94 MX$36.19

-19.07%

Eggs

$2.17 $2.17

$2.89 MX$53.8

-24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$10.97 MX$205

-50.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$9.25 MX$172

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$15.13 MX$282

-58.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.05 MX$56.8

-33.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.94 MX$36.19

-40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.03 MX$37.75

-46.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.31 MX$43.15

-53.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$2.04 MX$37.94

-28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.80 MX$33.55

-42.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.48 MX$27.58

-65.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.27 MX$23.63

-22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 $5.86

$5.30 MX$98.9

10.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$16.10 MX$300

-38.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.98 MX$36.97

-23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.25 MX$79.3

-40.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$0.31 MX$5.69

19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.14 $24.14

$19.73 MX$368

22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.84 MX$34.25

-19.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 $1.01

$0.53 MX$9.94

90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$5.30 MX$98.7

87.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.51 MX$28.16

-56.29%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$21.8K MX$405.5K

16.25%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$24.0K MX$447.1K

18.35%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$63.0 MX$1,174

-37.31%

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

$13.57 $13.57

$27.39 MX$511

-50.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 $31.19

$35.67 MX$665

-12.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$58.9 MX$1,099

-50.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 $14.80

$23.64 MX$441

-37.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 $7.18

$6.40 MX$119

12.19%

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

$253 $253

$432 MX$8,045

-41.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,750 $5,750

$11.4K MX$212.9K

-49.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$68.2 MX$1,272

-18.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.02 $43.02

$53.1 MX$990

-19.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 $98.0

$108 MX$2,009

-9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 $75.9

$117 MX$2,186

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 $340

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-69.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 $314

$710 MX$13.2K

-55.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-75.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-64.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 $1,218

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-66.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 $998

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-53.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

-11.89%

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

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galapagos Islands

$314 35.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 127% $397

Groceries & Markets

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.9%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 73.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 27.1% $33

Eating Out

Galapagos Islands

$103 11.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 92.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 49.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Galapagos Islands

$44 5%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 63.7% $28

Getting Around

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 20.8% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in the Galapagos Islands versus $1,113 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 $28 in the Galapagos Islands versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $320 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

Same time as the Galapagos Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galapagos Islands Mexico City 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galapagos Islands
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

Galapagos Islands vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $884 in the Galapagos Islands, $1,608 in Mexico City – Galapagos Islands comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,326 per month in the Galapagos Islands and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in the Galapagos Islands and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Galapagos Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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