Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arecibo

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,281 in Arecibo.

Mexico City $1,567
Arecibo $1,281

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,005 in Arecibo.

Mexico City $2,450
Arecibo $2,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $2,730 in Arecibo.

Mexico City $3,333
Arecibo $2,730

Living in Mexico City is roughly 22% more expensive than in Arecibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Arecibo is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$12.13 $12.13

-11.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$81.2 $81.2

-38.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$8.55 $8.55

29.82%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.42 $3.42

7.60%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.90 $1.90

-13.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.50 $1.50

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.05 $3.05

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$5.09 $5.09

8.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.79 $1.79

-1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.36 $3.36

-9.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$1.94 $1.94

3.61%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$4.48 $4.48

-38.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$12.78 $12.78

-6.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.48 $9.48

-1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$13.47 $13.47

11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$4.97 $4.97

-38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$2.59 $2.59

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.81 $4.81

-57.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.84 $4.84

-54.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$3.69 $3.69

-45.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.99 $3.99

-54.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$3.53 $3.53

-56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.60 $1.60

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$11.98 $11.98

-56.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$15.87 $15.87

1.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$3.09 $3.09

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$4.06 $4.06

4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$40.63 $40.63

-51.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.54 $2.54

-21.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.46 $1.46

-63.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$41.96 $41.96

-86.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.91 $0.91

67.03%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$40.4K $40.4K

-47.91%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$28.2K $28.2K

-10.56%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$324 $324

-80.73%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$68.1 $68.1

-57.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$66.1 $66.1

-47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$10.59 $10.59

-37.02%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$833 $833

-48.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$12.6K $12.6K

-6.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$56.1 $56.1

26.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$61.5 $61.5

-15.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$109 $109

-0.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$114 $114

-1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$1,191 $1,191

-18.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.55

72.52%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Arecibo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Arecibo

$395 30.8% 22.4% $72

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Arecibo

$203 15.8% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Arecibo

$153 12% 1% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Arecibo

$459 35.8% 265% $333

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7% 69.9% $49

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9% 95.8% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $81.0 in Arecibo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $395 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

39,634

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Arecibo 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Arecibo

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 Arecibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Arecibo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Arecibo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.