Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Antiguo Cuscatlan

For one person, living is cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan: $810 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Antiguo Cuscatlan
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Antiguo Cuscatlan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Antiguo Cuscatlan

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$810

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Antiguo Cuscatlan

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Antiguo Cuscatlan $810

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $1,304 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,304

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $1,798 in Antiguo Cuscatlan, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Antiguo Cuscatlan $1,798

Mexico City costs about 99% more than Antiguo Cuscatlan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Antiguo Cuscatlan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$6.93 $6.93

53.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$45.34 $45.34

6.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$7.13 $7.13

45.16%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.63 $3.63

1.65%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$1.12 $1.12

49.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$0.81 $0.81

56.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.04 $2.04

56.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$3.58 $3.58

48.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$1.80 $1.80

-4.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.89 $2.89

5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.40 $1.40

38.57%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.94 $2.94

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$7.84 $7.84

39.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.87 $6.87

34.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.34 $10.34

46.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$5.00 $5.00

-39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.43 $1.43

35.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.63 $2.63

-22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$3.36 $3.36

-31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$3.01 $3.01

-32.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$3.35 $3.35

-46.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.03 $1.03

43.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$0.90 $0.90

41.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$3.90 $3.90

35.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$11.82 $11.82

36.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$2.27 $2.27

-12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$2.95 $2.95

44.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$6.02 $6.02

-69.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$3.06 $3.06

-82.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$20.13 $20.13

-73.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.29 $1.29

17.05%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$24.7K $24.7K

-12.08%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$27.6K $27.6K

-12.97%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$129 $129

-51.11%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$21.07 $21.07

30.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$41.89 $41.89

-14.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$4.92 $4.92

30.08%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$162 $162

166.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$4,664 $4,664

144.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$66.8 $66.8

2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$46.91 $46.91

13.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$117 $117

-8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$115 $115

2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$602 $602

85.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.5

33.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Antiguo Cuscatlan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$286 35.3% 10.6% $34

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$146 18% 26.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$156 19.2% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$192 23.7% 52.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$9.8 * 1.2% 86.3% $62

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Antiguo Cuscatlan

$21 * 2.6% 16.2% $4.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $602 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. 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 $48 in Mexico City versus $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $286 – making Antiguo Cuscatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇸🇻 Antiguo Cuscatlan

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

33,767

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Antiguo Cuscatlan 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Antiguo Cuscatlan

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 Antiguo Cuscatlan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City, $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan – roughly 99% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,215 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antiguo Cuscatlan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $602 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $45 in Antiguo Cuscatlan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Mexico City, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Antiguo Cuscatlan, where all-in costs run around $810, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Antiguo Cuscatlan 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 $810 in Antiguo Cuscatlan to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.