Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
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Aracaju Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $659 in Aracaju.

Mexico City $1,674
Aracaju $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,043 in Aracaju.

Mexico City $2,606
Aracaju $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,427 in Aracaju.

Mexico City $3,537
Aracaju $1,427

Living in Mexico City is roughly 154% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Aracaju is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$4.63 R$25.41

128.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$21.63 R$119

140.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$5.42 R$29.75

97.97%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.92 R$10.54

97.92%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.07 R$5.88

50.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.55 R$3.03

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$1.88 R$10.30

69.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$2.90 R$15.93

87.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.03 R$5.64

66.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.40 R$7.69

112.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$1.09 R$5.97

77.06%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.59 R$8.70

74.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$6.99 R$38.39

66.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$3.60 R$19.73

163.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.82 R$37.43

125.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$1.94 R$10.62

59.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.23 R$6.77

59.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$0.66 R$3.61

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$0.82 R$4.51

185.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$1.03 R$5.64

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$0.90 R$4.93

102.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$0.51 R$2.80

201.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.70 R$3.85

87.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$2.25 R$12.36

137.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$5.58 R$30.64

190.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.14 R$6.25

71.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$1.85 R$10.18

135.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.85 R$4.67

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$38.97 R$214

-49.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$1.16 R$6.37

65.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.61 R$3.34

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$6.05 R$33.22

-10.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.19 R$6.54

24.37%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$21.4K R$117.3K

0.03%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$31.0K R$170.0K

-23.30%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$58.7 R$322

5.64%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$9.26 R$50.8

207.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$15.77 R$86.6

116.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$21.03 R$115

177.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$25.96 R$142

-5.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$5.85 R$32.08

12.65%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$277 R$1,520

56.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$5,017 R$27.5K

179.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$53.1 R$291

28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$32.44 R$178

68.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$81.1 R$445

36.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$75.3 R$413

54.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$280 R$1,538

320.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$135 R$740

471.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$590 R$3,241

335.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$250 R$1,373

467.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$1,204 R$6,606

197.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$849 R$4,660

143.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$422 R$2,313

137.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.50%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Aracaju

$135 20.5% 82.5% $636

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Aracaju

$154 23.4% 52.4% $169

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Aracaju

$98 14.9% 51.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Aracaju

$109 16.5% 30.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Aracaju

$84 12.7% 32.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Aracaju

$33 5% 54.3% $39

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Aracaju

$47 7.1% 86.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $280 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.4 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $22 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $154 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

23:15 11:15 PM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

602,757

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 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 = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Aracaju 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Aracaju

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 Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $659 in Aracaju, so Aracaju is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $280 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $277 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $659 in Aracaju versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Aracaju but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Aracaju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Aracaju wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.