Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $798 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $798 in Barbacena.

Mexico City $1,608
Barbacena $798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,216 in Barbacena.

Mexico City $2,549
Barbacena $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,634 in Barbacena.

Mexico City $3,490
Barbacena $1,634

Living in Mexico City is roughly 102% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Barbacena is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$5.08 R$27.15

109.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$19.42 R$104

148.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.72 R$30.56

80.94%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$1.55 R$8.29

138.06%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.42 R$7.59

17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.80 R$4.29

58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$1.22 R$6.55

161.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$2.00 R$10.70

165.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$1.07 R$5.70

60.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$1.99 R$10.62

52.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.17 R$6.28

65.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.21 R$11.82

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.04 R$53.7

9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$4.25 R$22.71

117.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.98 R$48.00

68.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.72 R$14.55

12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.62 R$8.66

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.47 R$7.88

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.76 R$9.41

31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$1.18 R$6.30

72.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$1.01 R$5.39

78.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.70 R$3.77

111.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$0.62 R$3.30

104.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$2.72 R$14.53

94.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$7.51 R$40.12

114.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.09 R$5.84

81.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.32 R$12.39

83.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$0.94 R$5.00

-67.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$40.71 R$218

-51.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.17 R$6.24

57.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.80 R$4.26

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.52 R$45.56

-37.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.21 R$6.49

24.79%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$21.9K R$116.8K

-0.45%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$32.1K R$171.3K

-25.16%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$125 R$668

-49.57%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$10.19 R$54.5

168.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$21.67 R$116

64.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$22.66 R$121

160.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$28.16 R$151

-16.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.61 R$40.70

-15.90%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$552 R$2,952

-21.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$12.1K R$64.5K

-5.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$39.68 R$212

71.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$45.40 R$243

17.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$69.3 R$370

55.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$61.9 R$331

89.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$218 R$1,167

410.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$159 R$852

345.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$401 R$2,145

544.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$293 R$1,568

379.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$1,641 R$8,774

121.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$1,139 R$6,087

87.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.93

-4.86%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Barbacena

$159 20% 77.6% $551

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Barbacena

$201 25.2% 37% $118

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Barbacena

$95 12% 52% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Barbacena

$97 12.2% 37.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Barbacena

$157 19.7% 24.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Barbacena

$38 4.8% 47.2% $34

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Barbacena

$50 6.2% 94.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $218 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $19 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $201 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

125,317

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.97 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Barbacena 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Barbacena

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 Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $798 in Barbacena, so Barbacena is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,196 in Barbacena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $218 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $798 in Barbacena – Barbacena is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 52% less than in Barbacena. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $798 in Barbacena versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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.