Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Aguadulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $958 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
Learn more

Aguadulce Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Aguadulce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $958 in Aguadulce.

Mexico City $1,608
Aguadulce $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,533 in Aguadulce.

Mexico City $2,549
Aguadulce $1,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,109 in Aguadulce.

Mexico City $3,490
Aguadulce $2,109

Living in Mexico City is roughly 68% more expensive than in Aguadulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Aguadulce is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$11.61 PAB 11.61

-8.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$47.62 PAB 47.62

1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.79 PAB 7.79

32.86%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$4.03 PAB 4.03

-8.44%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.99 PAB 1.99

-16.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$1.64 PAB 1.64

-22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$3.26 PAB 3.26

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$4.05 PAB 4.05

31.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-10.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$2.57 PAB 2.57

18.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$3.48 PAB 3.48

-44.25%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$2.72 PAB 2.72

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$12.60 PAB 12.60

-12.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$6.69 PAB 6.69

38.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$10.57 PAB 10.57

43.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$4.08 PAB 4.08

-25.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$1.94 PAB 1.94

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$4.23 PAB 4.23

-52.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$4.06 PAB 4.06

-43.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$3.51 PAB 3.51

-41.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$4.27 PAB 4.27

-57.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$2.37 PAB 2.37

-37.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.70 PAB 1.70

-25.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$6.10 PAB 6.10

-13.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$11.70 PAB 11.70

37.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$1.35 PAB 1.35

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$2.71 PAB 2.71

56.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$0.26 PAB 0.26

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-24.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$1.85 PAB 1.85

-71.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$21.59 PAB 21.59

-75.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$1.20 PAB 1.20

25.83%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$24.8K PAB 24.8K

-12.15%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

13.14%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$131 PAB 131

-51.95%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$27.94 PAB 27.94

-1.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$48.23 PAB 48.23

-26.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$45.56 PAB 45.56

29.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.74 PAB 8.74

-26.77%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$548 PAB 548

-21.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$9,480 PAB 9,480

20.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$66.1 PAB 66.1

3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$48.83 PAB 48.83

8.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$94.8 PAB 94.8

13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$113 PAB 113

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.39

77.62%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Aguadulce: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Aguadulce

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Aguadulce

$326 34.1% 2.1% $6.8

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Aguadulce

$203 21.2% 2.4% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Aguadulce

$145 15.2% 6.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Aguadulce

$207 21.6% 64.4% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Aguadulce

$63 6.6% 12.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3% 50.1% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $48 in Aguadulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $326 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

8,501

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.11 PAB (1 PAB = 0.899 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Aguadulce 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Aguadulce

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

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

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,437 in Aguadulce to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $548 in Aguadulce. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $958 in Aguadulce – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Aguadulce is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.