Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arcos de Valdevez

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Arcos de Valdevez: $1,548 and $1,540 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Arcos de Valdevez
Learn more

Arcos de Valdevez Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Arcos de Valdevez

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Arcos de Valdevez

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 Arcos de Valdevez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Mexico City vs $1,540 in Arcos de Valdevez, rent included.

Mexico City $1,548
Arcos de Valdevez $1,540

A couple spends around $2,436 per month in Mexico City vs $2,260 in Arcos de Valdevez, rent included.

Mexico City $2,436
Arcos de Valdevez $2,260

A family of three spends $3,323 per month in Mexico City vs $2,981 in Arcos de Valdevez, rent included.

Mexico City $3,323
Arcos de Valdevez $2,981

Mexico City costs about 1% more than Arcos de Valdevez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Arcos de Valdevez sit above the global median – Mexico City by 14%, Arcos de Valdevez by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$9.04 €8.04

21.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$42.22 €37.56

15.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$8.20 €7.29

32.93%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$1.82 €1.62

102.20%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.49 €1.33

9.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.14 €1.01

9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$2.26 €2.01

43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.82 €2.51

96.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.15 €1.03

47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.78 €1.58

69.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.41 €1.25

36.17%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.27 €2.02

20.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$8.69 €7.73

35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$8.11 €7.21

17.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$14.33 €12.75

0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.92 €1.70

57.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.47 €1.31

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.76 €1.56

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$2.29 €2.04

-4.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.84 €1.64

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.66 €1.47

12.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$1.02 €0.91

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.58 €0.52

118.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$5.74 €5.11

-9.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$4.42 €3.93

265.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.13 €1.01

68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.72 €1.53

145.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.25 €2.00

-84.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$42.01 €37.37

-53.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$4.51 €4.01

-55.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.48 €1.31

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$20.86 €18.55

-74.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.14 €1.91

-28.97%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.5K €24.5K

-19.72%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$37.9K €33.7K

-35.28%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$101 €90.0

-39.61%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$16.68 €14.84

71.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$33.36 €29.67

3.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$41.30 €36.73

36.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$16.41 €14.60

51.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.80 €7.83

-24.32%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$458 €408

-6.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$6,421 €5,711

81.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$95.2 €84.7

-28.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$35.80 €31.85

45.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$76.5 €68.0

38.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$102 €90.4

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$961 €855

6.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$753 €670

-13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,519 €1,351

52.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,193 €1,061

4.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,051 €2,714

18.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$2,210 €1,966

-12.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$1,919 €1,707

-49.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.7

205.41%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Arcos de Valdevez: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Arcos de Valdevez

$753 48.9% 15.2% $99

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Arcos de Valdevez

$228 14.8% 28.2% $90

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Arcos de Valdevez

$146 9.5% 28.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Arcos de Valdevez

$139 9% 8.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Arcos de Valdevez

$151 9.8% 21.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Arcos de Valdevez

$59 3.8% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Arcos de Valdevez

$63 4.1% 146% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,025 in Mexico City versus $961 in Arcos de Valdevez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 99% higher in Arcos de Valdevez, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49.00 in Mexico City versus $42.00 in Arcos de Valdevez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $228 – making Arcos de Valdevez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Arcos de Valdevez

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

20,720

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arcos de Valdevez 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arcos de Valdevez

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 Arcos de Valdevez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 1% more than Arcos de Valdevez, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,322 per month in Mexico City and $2,310 in Arcos de Valdevez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arcos de Valdevez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $427 per month in Mexico City and $458 in Arcos de Valdevez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arcos de Valdevez, where all-in costs run around $1,540, than in Mexico City at $1,548. In Arcos de Valdevez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arcos de Valdevez costs $1,540 versus $1,548 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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