Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,186 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,186 in Barcelos.

Mexico City $1,608
Barcelos $1,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,891 in Barcelos.

Mexico City $2,549
Barcelos $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,597 in Barcelos.

Mexico City $3,490
Barcelos $2,597

Living in Mexico City is roughly 36% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Barcelos is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$11.76 €10.53

-9.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$48.41 €43.35

-0.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$8.92 €7.99

16.03%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.88 €1.69

96.28%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$2.00 €1.79

-16.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.31 €1.17

-3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.37 €3.02

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$2.76 €2.47

92.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.09 €0.97

57.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.79 €1.60

69.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.65 €1.48

17.58%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$3.18 €2.85

-9.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.56 €10.35

-5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.11 €7.27

14.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$14.79 €13.25

2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$1.95 €1.75

56.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.36 €1.22

42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.82 €1.63

11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$2.55 €2.29

-9.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.78 €1.59

14.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.05 €1.83

-12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.54 €1.38

-3.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.91 €0.82

39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$6.87 €6.16

-22.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$4.55 €4.07

253.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$1.23 €1.10

60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.22 €1.98

91.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.18 €1.95

-85.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$22.57 €20.22

-12.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$4.23 €3.79

-56.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.41 €1.27

-62.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$16.57 €14.84

-68.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$2.11 €1.89

-28.44%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$34.2K €30.6K

-36.32%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$37.7K €33.8K

-36.36%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$103 €91.9

-38.63%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$17.46 €15.64

56.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$44.42 €39.78

-19.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$38.27 €34.27

54.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$6.80 €6.09

247.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$8.96 €8.02

-28.57%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$309 €276

39.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$6,324 €5,663

80.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$73.7 €66.0

-7.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$37.48 €33.57

41.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$79.3 €71.0

35.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$105 €93.9

11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$494 €443

125.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$359 €321

97.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$901 €807

187.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$713 €639

97.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$2,689 €2,408

35.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,536 €1,375

39.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$1,076 €964

-12.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.7

206.76%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Barcelos

$359 30.3% 49.5% $352

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Barcelos

$252 21.2% 21.2% $68

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Barcelos

$179 15.1% 9.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Barcelos

$133 11.2% 14.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Barcelos

$165 13.9% 30.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Barcelos

$56 4.7% 21.7% $16

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 67.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $48 in Barcelos. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $252, with Barcelos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

00:35 12:35 AM

6 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

116,766

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Barcelos 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,186 in Barcelos – Barcelos is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,186 in Barcelos versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos 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.