Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Gatos, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $4,787 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $37,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Los Gatos, CA, United States
Mexico City, Mexico
Los Gatos, CA
🇺🇸 United States
$4,787
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,787 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Gatos, CA $4,787
  • Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $7,200 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Gatos, CA $7,200
  • Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $9,613 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

  • Los Gatos, CA $9,613
  • Mexico City $3,537

Los Gatos, CA costs about 186% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Los Gatos, CA and Mexico City sit above the global median – Los Gatos, CA by 254%, Mexico City by 24%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$25.47 $25.47
$10.59 MX$197
140.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$98.0 $98.0
$52.0 MX$967
88.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.24 $15.24
$10.73 MX$200
42.03%
Cappuccino
$6.51 $6.51
$3.80 MX$70.7
71.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 $2.92
$1.61 MX$30.01
81.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.21 MX$22.55
112.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.90 $7.90
$3.18 MX$59.1
148.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.05 $8.05
$5.44 MX$101
47.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.72 MX$31.96
-25.58%
White Bread (500g)
$4.20 $4.20
$2.97 MX$55.2
41.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.77 $4.77
$1.93 MX$35.84
147.15%
Eggs
$6.62 $6.62
$2.77 MX$51.6
138.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.66 $24.66
$11.67 MX$217
111.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.61 $11.61
$9.48 MX$176
22.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.16 $13.16
$15.37 MX$286
-14.38%
Apples (1kg)
$5.35 $5.35
$3.10 MX$57.8
72.58%
Banana (1kg)
$3.17 $3.17
$1.96 MX$36.49
61.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.91 $4.91
$1.98 MX$36.88
147.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.93 $5.93
$2.34 MX$43.46
153.42%
Potato (1kg)
$3.29 $3.29
$2.02 MX$37.66
62.87%
Onion (1kg)
$3.97 $3.97
$1.82 MX$33.95
118.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.05 $3.05
$1.54 MX$28.74
98.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 $2.63
$1.31 MX$24.42
100.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.98 $11.98
$5.35 MX$99.6
123.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.10 $13.10
$16.19 MX$301
-19.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 $2.13
$1.96 MX$36.46
8.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$4.35 MX$81.0
-43.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.30 MX$5.67
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.49 MX$363
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.11 $4.11
$1.92 MX$35.68
114.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.83 $1.83
$0.47 MX$8.80
289.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.36 $35.36
$5.41 MX$101
553.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 $1.57
$1.48 MX$27.61
6.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9K $27.9K
$21.4K MX$397.7K
30.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$23.8K MX$442.1K
12.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$371 $371
$62.0 MX$1,154
497.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$58.7 $58.7
$28.47 MX$530
106.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.3 $64.3
$34.11 MX$635
88.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$145 $145
$58.4 MX$1,087
148.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$24.50 MX$456
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.95 $16.95
$6.59 MX$123
157.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,150 $2,150
$434 MX$8,081
395.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.3K $20.3K
$14.0K MX$261.2K
44.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.3 $51.3
$68.4 MX$1,272
-24.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.25 $39.25
$54.8 MX$1,020
-28.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.2 $75.2
$111 MX$2,063
-32.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.2 $60.2
$116 MX$2,159
-48.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,504 $3,504
$1,179 MX$21.9K
197.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,124 $3,124
$771 MX$14.3K
305.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,570 MX$47.8K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$6,054 $6,054
$1,420 MX$26.4K
326.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,481 $3,481
$3,586 MX$66.7K
-2.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,064 MX$38.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Los Gatos, CA
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,003 MX$18.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.69
11.35
-41.06%

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

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Los Gatos, CA
$3.1K
Mexico City
$771 75.3% $2.4K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Los Gatos, CA
$493
Mexico City
$125 74.8% $369
Groceries & Markets
Los Gatos, CA
$470
Mexico City
$324 31.2% $147
Eating Out
Los Gatos, CA
$405
Mexico City
$201 50.5% $205
Sport & Entertainment
Los Gatos, CA
$179
Mexico City
$72 60.1% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Los Gatos, CA
$102
Mexico City
$158 54.8% $56
Getting Around
Los Gatos, CA
$13 *
Mexico City
$25 88.7% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA versus $1,179 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 $98 in Los Gatos, CA versus $52 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $470 vs $324 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
11:52 11:52 AM
13:52 1:52 PM
2 h ahead of Los Gatos, CA
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
30,222
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Los Gatos, CA Mexico City 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Los Gatos, CA
  • 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
Los Gatos, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Los Gatos, CA or Mexico City?
Los Gatos, CA costs about 186% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Los Gatos, CA and in Mexico City?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,181 per month in Los Gatos, CA and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Los Gatos, CA or Mexico City?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,179 there versus $3,504 in Los Gatos, CA.
How do dining costs compare in Los Gatos, CA and in Mexico City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Los Gatos, CA and $52 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Los Gatos, CA or in Mexico City?
Groceries cost about 45% more in Los Gatos, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Los Gatos, CA or in Mexico City?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,674, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,787. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Los Gatos, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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