Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Bonao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $678 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $678 in Bonao.

Mexico City $1,674
Bonao $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $1,117 in Bonao.

Mexico City $2,606
Bonao $1,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $1,556 in Bonao.

Mexico City $3,537
Bonao $1,556

Living in Mexico City is roughly 147% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 24% above, Bonao is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$9.74 DOP 589

8.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$48.85 DOP 2,953

6.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$7.64 DOP 462

40.45%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$1.93 DOP 117

96.89%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.06 DOP 64.0

51.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$0.57 DOP 34.62

112.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$2.51 DOP 152

26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.14 DOP 190

73.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.02 DOP 61.9

68.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$1.03 DOP 62.2

188.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$0.66 DOP 40.09

192.42%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$1.16 DOP 70.4

138.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$4.84 DOP 292

141.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$5.45 DOP 329

73.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$6.67 DOP 403

130.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$2.34 DOP 142

32.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$0.64 DOP 38.40

206.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$2.63 DOP 159

-24.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$1.40 DOP 84.9

67.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$2.01 DOP 122

0.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$1.54 DOP 93.3

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$1.02 DOP 61.7

50.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$0.47 DOP 28.30

178.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$5.19 DOP 314

3.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$6.86 DOP 415

136.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.04 DOP 123

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$2.83 DOP 171

53.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$0.58 DOP 34.81

-48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

$34.90 DOP 2,110

-44.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$3.19 DOP 193

-39.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$2.26 DOP 137

-79.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$2.48 DOP 150

118.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.43 DOP 86.8

3.50%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$29.2K DOP 1.8M

-26.84%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

-28.48%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$91.6 DOP 5,540

-32.35%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$30.86 DOP 1,866

-7.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$35.71 DOP 2,159

-4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$7.34 DOP 444

-10.22%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$246 DOP 14.8K

76.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$7,464 DOP 451.3K

88.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$44.87 DOP 2,713

52.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$46.00 DOP 2,781

19.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$84.6 DOP 5,117

30.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$121 DOP 7,310

-4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

13.56

-16.30%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bonao: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Bonao

$171 25.2% 47.1% $153

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Bonao

$149 22% 25.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Bonao

$133 19.7% 15.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Bonao

$158 23.3% 27% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Bonao

$15 * 2.2% 79.5% $57

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Bonao

$52 7.6% 107% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $49 in Bonao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $171 per month, with Bonao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

23:35 11:35 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

158,034

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Bonao 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Bonao

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 Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $678 in Bonao, so Bonao is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $1,018 in Bonao 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.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 44% less than in Bonao. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $246 in Bonao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $678 in Bonao versus $1,674 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bonao but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Bonao 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.