Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Atibaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Atibaia: $812 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

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

Cost of Living Index in Atibaia
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Atibaia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Atibaia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $812 in Atibaia.

Mexico City $1,548
Atibaia $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $1,451 in Atibaia.

Mexico City $2,436
Atibaia $1,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $2,090 in Atibaia.

Mexico City $3,323
Atibaia $2,090

Living in Mexico City is roughly 91% more expensive than in Atibaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Atibaia is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$8.02 R$40.64

37.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$31.96 R$162

52.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$7.04 R$35.67

54.83%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.32 R$11.77

58.62%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.40 R$7.11

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.95 R$4.82

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.95 R$9.91

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$3.01 R$15.28

83.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$1.09 R$5.51

55.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$1.84 R$9.35

64.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$1.33 R$6.76

44.36%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.49 R$12.63

9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$10.82 R$54.9

8.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$4.85 R$24.60

96.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$9.73 R$49.33

48.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.15 R$10.90

40.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.22 R$6.21

54.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$1.22 R$6.17

63.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$1.63 R$8.29

34.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$1.20 R$6.10

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.33 R$6.73

40.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.97 R$4.94

48.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.76 R$3.83

67.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.34 R$11.88

123.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$7.63 R$38.66

111.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.38 R$6.99

37.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.88 R$9.56

124.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.97 R$4.93

-64.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$1.57 R$7.94

27.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.61 R$8.19

-67.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$17.61 R$89.3

-69.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.25 R$6.33

21.60%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$20.3K R$103.1K

8.55%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$31.3K R$158.7K

-21.71%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$77.8 R$395

-21.52%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$12.25 R$62.1

133.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$21.94 R$111

57.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$24.22 R$123

132.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$19.88 R$101

25.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$8.60 R$43.61

-22.56%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$275 R$1,395

55.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$10.0K R$50.8K

16.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$53.8 R$273

25.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$37.65 R$191

38.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$75.0 R$380

41.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$60.1 R$305

87.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$301 R$1,527

240.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$198 R$1,006

229.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,008 R$5,112

128.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$693 R$3,511

79.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$1,987 R$10.1K

81.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$1,687 R$8,550

14.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$503 R$2,552

91.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

12.79

-11.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Atibaia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Atibaia

$198 24.4% 69.7% $456

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Atibaia

$207 25.5% 35% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Atibaia

$138 17% 32.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Atibaia

$102 12.6% 33% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Atibaia

$112 13.8% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Atibaia

$41 5.1% 40.6% $28

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Atibaia

$14 * 1.7% 47.2% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $301 in Atibaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 91% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $32.00 in Atibaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $207 per month, with Atibaia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Atibaia

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

10:35 10:35 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

158,647

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Atibaia 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Atibaia

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 Atibaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Atibaia differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $812 including rent). Atibaia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $301 in Atibaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $275 in Atibaia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Atibaia – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $812 in Atibaia versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Atibaia but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Atibaia 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.

Expats usually find Atibaia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.