Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kobe and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in Kobe: $1,392 a month against $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

Jump to prices

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,392

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kobe and in San Miguel de Allende

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,392 in Kobe versus $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende.

Kobe $1,392
San Miguel de Allende $1,581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,067 in Kobe versus $2,514 in San Miguel de Allende.

Kobe $2,067
San Miguel de Allende $2,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,742 in Kobe versus $3,448 in San Miguel de Allende.

Kobe $2,742
San Miguel de Allende $3,448

Living in Kobe costs roughly 12% less than in San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Kobe 2% above, San Miguel de Allende 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ¥1,217

$14.61 MX$273

-47.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.86 ¥5,034

$41.89 MX$783

-23.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥776

$10.35 MX$193

-52.56%

Cappuccino

$2.37 ¥375

$3.71 MX$69.2

-36.12%

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

$1.19 ¥188

$1.59 MX$29.67

-25.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥90.1

$1.05 MX$19.61

-45.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ¥335

$3.56 MX$66.5

-40.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥363

$6.01 MX$112

-61.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.52 MX$28.47

3.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ¥211

$3.16 MX$59.1

-57.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.17 ¥658

$1.83 MX$34.24

127.87%

Eggs

$2.04 ¥322

$3.02 MX$56.4

-32.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ¥1,992

$8.39 MX$157

50.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.78 ¥1,071

$12.10 MX$226

-43.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 ¥2,696

$17.94 MX$335

-4.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.70 ¥1,217

$3.98 MX$74.4

93.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 ¥484

$1.62 MX$30.30

88.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 ¥785

$2.75 MX$51.3

80.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 ¥1,218

$2.88 MX$53.7

167.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.84 ¥606

$2.61 MX$48.74

47.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$3.05 MX$57.0

13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ¥179

$1.11 MX$20.71

1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥148

$1.33 MX$24.94

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ¥549

$4.36 MX$81.5

-20.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 ¥1,271

$16.43 MX$307

-51.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 ¥310

$2.33 MX$43.54

-15.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥230

$3.69 MX$68.9

-60.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ¥229

$0.56 MX$10.52

158.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.4 ¥9,862

$19.06 MX$356

227.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ¥492

$4.29 MX$80.2

-27.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ¥512

$4.38 MX$81.9

-26.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 ¥4,221

$10.76 MX$201

148.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.51 MX$28.17

-29.80%

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

$19.9K ¥3.1M

$24.5K MX$457.2K

-18.68%

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

$15.4K ¥2.4M

$23.3K MX$435.1K

-33.69%

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

$148 ¥23.3K

$40.27 MX$752

267.00%

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

$23.26 ¥3,674

$15.51 MX$290

49.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 ¥4,936

$41.04 MX$767

-23.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.90 ¥7,410

$36.69 MX$686

27.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ¥1,869

$41.08 MX$768

-71.20%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 ¥2,032

$6.58 MX$123

95.44%

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

$321 ¥50.6K

$349 MX$6,517

-8.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,141 ¥970.2K

$4,839 MX$90.4K

26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 ¥7,995

$65.5 MX$1,223

-22.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.01 ¥3,952

$59.3 MX$1,109

-57.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.98 ¥7,265

$110 MX$2,060

-58.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 ¥10.4K

$146 MX$2,737

-55.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 ¥109.1K

$1,046 MX$19.5K

-33.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 ¥73.1K

$635 MX$11.9K

-27.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 ¥173.8K

$2,351 MX$43.9K

-53.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$737 ¥116.4K

$1,237 MX$23.1K

-40.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,325 ¥683.3K

$2,652 MX$49.5K

63.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,894 ¥457.2K

$1,605 MX$30.0K

80.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 ¥312.0K

$604 MX$11.3K

227.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.02

12.05

-83.24%

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

Last update for Kobe: October 25, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kobe

$463 33.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$635 40.2% 37.2% $172

Groceries & Markets

Kobe

$355 25.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$347 22% 2.3% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kobe

$202 14.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$97 6.1% 52.1% $105

Eating Out

Kobe

$127 9.1%

San Miguel de Allende

$233 14.7% 83.2% $106

Getting Around

Kobe

$88 6.3%

San Miguel de Allende

$48 3% 45.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Kobe

$84 6.1%

San Miguel de Allende

$172 10.9% 104% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Kobe

$73 5.2%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.2% 31.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $691 in Kobe and $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kobe pays about 3.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Kobe vs $42 in San Miguel de Allende. Groceries flip the comparison at $355 vs $347, with San Miguel de Allende cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kobe

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

09:05 9:05 AM

15 h behind Kobe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,537,272

72,452

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.69 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kobe San Miguel de Allende 11,470 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Kobe
San Miguel de Allende

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

Kobe vs San Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kobe wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in San Miguel de Allende. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kobe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Kobe is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $691 in Kobe versus $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $321 in Kobe versus $349 in San Miguel de Allende. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kobe – a meal for two runs $32 versus $42 in San Miguel de Allende. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kobe is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kobe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,392 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kobe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kobe and San Miguel de Allende are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.