Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $964 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,548 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Mexico City $1,548

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $2,436 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Mexico City $2,436

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $3,323 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Mexico City $3,323

Guarulhos is about 38% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guarulhos sits 29% below the global median, while Mexico City is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$11.02 MX$204

-21.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$48.68 MX$900

-17.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$10.90 MX$201

-17.43%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$3.68 MX$68.1

-33.15%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$1.63 MX$30.18

-17.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$1.25 MX$23.07

-31.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$3.25 MX$60.1

-24.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$5.53 MX$102

-29.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.70 MX$31.50

-38.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$3.02 MX$55.8

-37.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.92 MX$35.53

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.73 MX$50.5

-9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$11.77 MX$218

7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$9.53 MX$176

-49.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$14.41 MX$266

-25.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$3.02 MX$55.8

-21.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.89 MX$35.01

-8.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.99 MX$36.70

-23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$2.19 MX$40.38

-30.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.92 MX$35.43

-34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.87 MX$34.49

-36.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$1.44 MX$26.62

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$1.27 MX$23.39

-33.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$5.22 MX$96.4

-52.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$16.17 MX$299

-38.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.90 MX$35.03

-21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$4.22 MX$78.0

-41.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$0.34 MX$6.30

264.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$19.65 MX$363

434.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$2.00 MX$36.90

-41.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$0.52 MX$9.67

38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$5.34 MX$98.7

58.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.52 MX$28.13

-15.79%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

6.82%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

39.60%

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

$91.6 R$465

$61.1 MX$1,129

50.06%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$28.58 MX$528

-47.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$34.47 MX$637

-35.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$56.4 MX$1,042

-49.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$6.66 MX$123

50.90%

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

$429 R$2,173

$427 MX$7,891

0.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

-5.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$67.8 MX$1,253

-4.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$52.0 MX$960

9.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$106 MX$1,959

-13.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$113 MX$2,080

-29.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$1,025 MX$18.9K

-65.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$654 MX$12.1K

-75.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$2,308 MX$42.7K

-56.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$1,242 MX$22.9K

-38.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-46.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$1,936 MX$35.8K

-23.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$964 MX$17.8K

-60.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

11.3

-0.44%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 40.2% $91

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 314% $496

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 31.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 15.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 3.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 77.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 44.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $1,025 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.

Salaries run about 155% higher in Mexico City, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $49.00 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $227 vs $318 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

3 h behind Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guarulhos Mexico City 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

Guarulhos vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 61% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $2,322 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos and $49.00 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Guarulhos and $1,548 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 61%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $964 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Guarulhos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.