Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Alfenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Alfenas: $731 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Alfenas
Learn more

Alfenas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Alfenas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Alfenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $731 in Alfenas, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Alfenas $731

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,297 in Alfenas, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Alfenas $1,297

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $1,862 in Alfenas, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Alfenas $1,862

Mexico City costs about 129% more than Alfenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Alfenas is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$3.59 R$19.71

194.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$27.35 R$150

89.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$5.43 R$29.79

97.61%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$0.89 R$4.86

326.97%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$0.57 R$3.14

182.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.54 R$2.94

124.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.17 R$11.89

46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.73 R$14.99

99.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.15 R$6.32

49.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.66 R$9.11

78.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.40 R$7.67

37.86%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.53 R$13.88

9.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$11.22 R$61.6

4.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$4.97 R$27.30

90.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$10.00 R$54.9

53.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.49 R$13.66

24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.62 R$8.89

20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$1.38 R$7.55

43.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.74 R$9.57

34.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.31 R$7.18

54.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.19 R$6.53

52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.15 R$6.30

33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.92 R$5.05

42.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$1.82 R$9.99

193.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$9.29 R$51.0

74.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.67 R$9.16

17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$2.36 R$12.95

84.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.10 R$6.03

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$47.17 R$259

-58.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.26 R$6.91

52.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.94 R$5.17

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$10.02 R$55.0

-46.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.24 R$6.83

19.35%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.6K R$118.8K

-1.28%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$27.5K R$150.7K

-13.50%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$55.7 R$305

11.39%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$15.69 R$86.1

81.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$18.60 R$102

83.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$25.24 R$139

131.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$22.35 R$123

9.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$6.58 R$36.11

0.15%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$572 R$3,141

-24.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$6,674 R$36.6K

110.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$58.7 R$322

16.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$56.1 R$308

-2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$93.2 R$511

18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$86.8 R$476

33.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$337 R$1,851

249.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$114 R$626

576.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$654 R$3,591

292.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$451 R$2,475

214.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,784 R$9,793

100.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$1,165 R$6,392

77.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$458 R$2,511

119.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.5

-1.30%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alfenas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Alfenas

$114 15.6% 85.2% $657

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Alfenas

$222 30.4% 31.3% $101

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Alfenas

$76 10.5% 61.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Alfenas

$133 18.1% 15.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Alfenas

$90 12.3% 27.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Alfenas

$38 5.3% 46.3% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Alfenas

$58 7.9% 130% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $337 in Alfenas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mexico City are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $27 in Alfenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $222 – making Alfenas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Alfenas

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

78,970

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Alfenas 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Alfenas

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 Alfenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $731 in Alfenas – Alfenas comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,097 in Alfenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alfenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Mexico City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City and $27 in Alfenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Alfenas, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Alfenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $731 in Alfenas to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Alfenas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mexico City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.