Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilheus and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $786 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ilheus, Brazil
Mexico City, Mexico
Ilheus
🇧🇷 Brazil
$786
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $786 per month in Ilheus vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Ilheus $786
  • Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Ilheus vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Ilheus $1,283
  • Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $1,779 per month in Ilheus vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Ilheus $1,779
  • Mexico City $3,490

Ilheus is about 51% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ilheus sits 42% below the global median, while Mexico City is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.91 R$20.92
$10.62 MX$199
-63.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.88 R$160
$48.35 MX$904
-38.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.47 R$39.96
$10.35 MX$193
-27.83%
Cappuccino
$1.86 R$9.93
$3.69 MX$69.0
-49.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R$6.19
$1.67 MX$31.14
-30.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 R$4.47
$1.27 MX$23.65
-33.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 R$9.26
$3.19 MX$59.7
-45.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 R$16.89
$5.31 MX$99.2
-40.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 R$5.61
$1.72 MX$32.23
-38.95%
White Bread (500g)
$1.61 R$8.61
$3.04 MX$56.8
-47.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 R$6.52
$1.94 MX$36.27
-37.11%
Eggs
$2.00 R$10.72
$2.89 MX$54.0
-30.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.98 R$96.2
$10.97 MX$205
63.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.92 R$21.00
$9.25 MX$173
-57.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.37 R$39.44
$15.13 MX$283
-51.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 R$11.25
$3.05 MX$57.0
-31.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 R$6.31
$1.94 MX$36.27
-39.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 R$6.09
$2.03 MX$37.85
-43.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 R$8.01
$2.31 MX$43.25
-35.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 R$6.33
$2.04 MX$38.03
-42.16%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 R$5.32
$1.80 MX$33.63
-45.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 R$4.10
$1.48 MX$27.64
-47.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 R$3.46
$1.27 MX$23.69
-48.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.30 R$12.29
$5.30 MX$99.1
-56.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.96 R$37.23
$16.10 MX$301
-56.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 R$5.90
$1.98 MX$37.06
-44.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 R$10.52
$4.25 MX$79.5
-53.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 R$5.07
$0.31 MX$5.70
206.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.11 R$220
$19.73 MX$369
108.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.08 R$5.80
$1.84 MX$34.34
-41.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R$5.02
$0.53 MX$9.97
77.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.78 R$36.26
$5.30 MX$99.0
27.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 R$6.07
$1.51 MX$28.23
-25.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K R$111.3K
$21.8K MX$406.5K
-4.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K R$174.9K
$24.0K MX$448.2K
36.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.8 R$379
$63.0 MX$1,177
12.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.71 R$62.7
$27.39 MX$512
-57.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.59 R$105
$35.67 MX$666
-45.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.68 R$132
$58.9 MX$1,101
-58.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.71 R$127
$23.64 MX$442
0.30%
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 R$34.76
$6.40 MX$120
1.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$273 R$1,461
$432 MX$8,065
-36.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,926 R$37.1K
$11.4K MX$213.5K
-39.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 R$274
$68.2 MX$1,275
-24.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.88 R$219
$53.1 MX$993
-23.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.8 R$465
$108 MX$2,014
-19.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.4 R$344
$117 MX$2,191
-45.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 R$1,119
$1,113 MX$20.8K
-81.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$183 R$980
$710 MX$13.3K
-74.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$530 R$2,836
$2,588 MX$48.4K
-79.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$407 R$2,180
$1,406 MX$26.3K
-71.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,468 R$7,858
$3,631 MX$67.8K
-59.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,234 R$6,606
$2,135 MX$39.9K
-42.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ilheus
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$564 R$3,021
$946 MX$17.7K
-40.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11
11.35
-3.08%

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

Last update for Ilheus: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Ilheus
$204
Mexico City
$320 56.3% $115
Accommodation & Living
Ilheus
$183
Mexico City
$710 288% $527
Clothing & Footwear
Ilheus
$109
Mexico City
$156 42.4% $46
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ilheus
$102
Mexico City
$126 23.4% $24
Eating Out
Ilheus
$99
Mexico City
$199 101% $100
Getting Around
Ilheus
$51
Mexico City
$25 49.7% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Ilheus
$38
Mexico City
$72 90.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Ilheus 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.

Salaries run about 68% 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 $30 in Ilheus versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $320 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Ilheus
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
08:58 8:58 AM
05:58 5:58 AM
3 h behind Ilheus
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
178,649
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ilheus Mexico City 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ilheus
  • 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
Ilheus vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Ilheus and in Mexico City compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $786 in Ilheus, $1,608 in Mexico City – roughly 104% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Ilheus compared to Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,180 per month in Ilheus and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Ilheus and Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 56% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Ilheus and $48 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ilheus, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Ilheus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Ilheus or Mexico City?
Families tend to lean toward Ilheus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Ilheus and Mexico City?
If budget matters most, go with Ilheus. 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.

Ilheus vs other spots: cost of living compared

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