Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $873 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $873 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Bahia de Caraquez $873

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,437 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Bahia de Caraquez $1,437

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,002 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Bahia de Caraquez $2,002

Mexico City costs about 92% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Bahia de Caraquez is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$3.97 $3.97

166.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$53.2 $53.2

-2.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$8.82 $8.82

21.66%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$2.79 $2.79

36.20%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$0.92 $0.92

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$0.68 $0.68

77.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$2.98 $2.98

6.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.20 $4.20

29.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$1.21 $1.21

42.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$2.01 $2.01

47.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$1.41 $1.41

36.88%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$2.08 $2.08

33.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$6.89 $6.89

69.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$5.21 $5.21

81.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$8.99 $8.99

70.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$1.52 $1.52

103.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.16 $1.16

68.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$1.02 $1.02

94.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$0.95 $0.95

146.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$1.27 $1.27

59.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$0.92 $0.92

97.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$0.83 $0.83

85.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$0.93 $0.93

40.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.83 $5.83

-8.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$11.84 $11.84

36.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$1.54 $1.54

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.19 $2.19

98.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$0.34 $0.34

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.71 $2.71

-29.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.72 $1.72

-72.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$11.85 $11.85

-54.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$0.84 $0.84

76.19%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$22.5K $22.5K

-5.20%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$31.1K $31.1K

-23.56%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$33.68 $33.68

84.06%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$15.13 $15.13

88.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$26.40 $26.40

29.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$29.48 $29.48

98.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

$16.45 $16.45

48.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.64 $7.64

-13.74%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$375 $375

15.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$5,635 $5,635

149.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$66.0 $66.0

3.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$41.24 $41.24

32.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$125 $125

-11.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$92.4 $92.4

25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$414 $414

184.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$274 $274

181.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$834 $834

208.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$509 $509

179.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

10.05

12.94%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bahia de Caraquez: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Bahia de Caraquez

$274 31.3% 64.5% $497

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$199 22.8% 38.5% $124

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Bahia de Caraquez

$121 13.9% 39.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 16.8% 7.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Bahia de Caraquez

$75 8.6% 39.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Bahia de Caraquez

$45 5.1% 37.4% $27

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Bahia de Caraquez

$13 * 1.5% 49.3% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $414 in Bahia de Caraquez. 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $53 in Bahia de Caraquez. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Mexico City vs $199 in Bahia de Caraquez – so Bahia de Caraquez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

20:08 8:08 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

24,963

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bahia de Caraquez 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $873 in Bahia de Caraquez – Bahia de Caraquez comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,309 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $375 in Bahia de Caraquez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $873 in Bahia de Caraquez. That makes Bahia de Caraquez about 48% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Mexico City at $1,674. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bahia de Caraquez has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $873 in Bahia de Caraquez to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.