Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Serena and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in La Serena: $1,092 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in La Serena
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La Serena Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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La Serena

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,092

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,092 per month in La Serena vs $1,567 in Mexico City, rent included.

La Serena $1,092
Mexico City $1,567

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in La Serena vs $2,450 in Mexico City, rent included.

La Serena $1,818
Mexico City $2,450

A family of three spends $2,544 per month in La Serena vs $3,333 in Mexico City, rent included.

La Serena $2,544
Mexico City $3,333

La Serena is about 30% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Serena sits 19% below the global median, while Mexico City is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 CLP 7,364

$10.75 MX$199

-30.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.67 CLP 46.9K

$50.3 MX$929

-5.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 CLP 7,941

$11.10 MX$205

-27.30%

Cappuccino

$2.78 CLP 2,734

$3.68 MX$68.1

-24.46%

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

$1.05 CLP 1,032

$1.65 MX$30.42

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 CLP 665

$1.30 MX$24.08

-47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CLP 1,955

$3.32 MX$61.3

-40.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 CLP 3,662

$5.54 MX$102

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 CLP 1,161

$1.77 MX$32.68

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 CLP 2,364

$3.05 MX$56.4

-21.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,452

$2.01 MX$37.20

-26.87%

Eggs

$3.73 CLP 3,669

$2.77 MX$51.1

34.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 CLP 12.3K

$11.91 MX$220

5.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 CLP 5,660

$9.33 MX$172

-38.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 CLP 12.3K

$15.02 MX$278

-16.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 CLP 1,851

$3.08 MX$56.8

-38.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 CLP 1,665

$1.95 MX$35.97

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 CLP 1,248

$2.03 MX$37.54

-37.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,443

$2.21 MX$40.92

-33.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 CLP 1,130

$2.02 MX$37.41

-43.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 CLP 1,188

$1.82 MX$33.67

-33.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 CLP 1,052

$1.52 MX$28.07

-29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 CLP 864

$1.28 MX$23.65

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.26 CLP 5,176

$5.27 MX$97.4

-0.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 CLP 5,167

$16.12 MX$298

-67.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 930

$1.95 MX$36.05

-51.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CLP 2,017

$4.25 MX$78.6

-51.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 CLP 988

$0.31 MX$5.82

222.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.05 CLP 34.5K

$19.85 MX$367

76.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 CLP 742

$2.00 MX$36.93

-62.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 CLP 2,031

$0.53 MX$9.86

288.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.12 CLP 11.9K

$5.62 MX$104

115.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 CLP 1,396

$1.52 MX$28.07

-6.58%

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

$19.6K CLP 19.3M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

-6.78%

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

$12.4K CLP 12.2M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-50.81%

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

$88.2 CLP 86.8K

$62.5 MX$1,155

41.13%

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

$10.93 CLP 10.8K

$28.77 MX$532

-62.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 CLP 20.9K

$34.45 MX$637

-38.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.7 CLP 82.3K

$57.1 MX$1,055

46.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 CLP 19.8K

$24.81 MX$458

-19.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 CLP 7,819

$6.67 MX$123

19.04%

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

$431 MX$7,964

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.29 CLP 42.6K

$70.8 MX$1,308

-38.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 CLP 60.0K

$51.8 MX$958

17.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 CLP 90.0K

$109 MX$2,011

-15.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CLP 101.0K

$112 MX$2,076

-8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 CLP 423.4K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-59.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 CLP 308.4K

$665 MX$12.3K

-52.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$920 CLP 905.3K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-60.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 CLP 711.7K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-41.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,996 CLP 2.0M

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,339 CLP 1.3M

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-32.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$719 CLP 707.6K

$975 MX$18.0K

-26.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.3

-42.48%

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

Last update for La Serena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Serena

$313 28.7%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 112% $352

Groceries & Markets

La Serena

$232 21.3%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 38.9% $90

Eating Out

La Serena

$142 13%

Mexico City

$203 13% 43.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

La Serena

$134 12.3%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Serena

$120 11%

Mexico City

$126 8% 4.5% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

La Serena

$100 9.1%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 29.2% $29

Getting Around

La Serena

$50 4.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 48.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $430 in La Serena versus $1,051 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 36% 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 $48.00 in La Serena versus $50.0 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $232 vs $323 – making La Serena the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 La Serena

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

09:22 9:22 AM

3 h behind La Serena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,382

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Serena Mexico City 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

La Serena
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

La Serena vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,637 per month in La Serena and $2,351 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Serena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,092 in La Serena and $1,567 in Mexico City. That's a gap of about 44%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in La Serena and $50.0 in Mexico City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in La Serena, where all-in costs run around $1,092, than in Mexico City at $1,567. In La Serena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with La Serena. 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.