Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $877 in Belem.

Mexico City $1,608
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,329 in Belem.

Mexico City $2,549
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,781 in Belem.

Mexico City $3,490
Belem $1,781

Living in Mexico City is roughly 83% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Belem is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$4.66 R$25.08

127.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$18.25 R$98.2

164.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.54 R$35.22

58.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$1.72 R$9.28

114.53%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$0.99 R$5.34

68.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.44 R$2.35

188.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$1.50 R$8.10

112.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$2.17 R$11.70

144.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.29 R$6.92

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.33 R$12.54

30.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.25 R$6.70

55.20%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$1.98 R$10.67

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$8.44 R$45.44

29.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$4.12 R$22.16

124.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$7.25 R$39.00

108.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.24 R$12.05

36.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.32 R$7.12

46.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$1.39 R$7.48

46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.56 R$8.37

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$0.97 R$5.21

110.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$0.54 R$2.89

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$1.26 R$6.80

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.37 R$7.36

-7.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$2.45 R$13.19

116.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$9.32 R$50.2

72.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$1.33 R$7.18

48.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$4.52 R$24.35

-5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.90 R$4.85

-65.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$31.93 R$172

-38.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$1.10 R$5.93

67.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$1.10 R$5.90

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$7.92 R$42.64

-33.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.15 R$6.21

31.30%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$21.8K R$117.5K

-0.33%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$30.0K R$161.6K

-20.11%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$93.5 R$503

-32.65%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$10.82 R$58.3

153.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$29.78 R$160

19.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$20.33 R$109

189.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$36.96 R$199

-36.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.46 R$40.15

-14.21%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$104 R$561

314.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$3,250 R$17.5K

251.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$30.81 R$166

121.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$41.86 R$225

26.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$75.6 R$407

42.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$61.4 R$330

91.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$503 R$2,709

121.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$267 R$1,436

166.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$837 R$4,506

209.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$485 R$2,611

189.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$1,865 R$10.0K

94.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,302 R$7,005

64.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$386 R$2,079

144.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

11.48

-1.13%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Belem

$267 30.4% 62.5% $444

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Belem

$209 23.8% 34.6% $111

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Belem

$95 10.9% 52.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Belem

$94 10.8% 39.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Belem

$134 15.3% 6.4% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Belem

$35 4% 50.9% $36

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Belem

$42 4.8% 65.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $18 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $209 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

3 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Belem 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $503 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 38% less than in Belem. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $877 in Belem versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Belem 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.

It comes down to priorities – Belem wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.