Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Brades

For one person, living is cheaper in Brades: $923 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Brades

🇲🇸 Montserrat

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $923 in Brades.

Mexico City $1,608
Brades $923

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,139 in Brades.

Mexico City $2,549
Brades $2,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,355 in Brades.

Mexico City $3,490
Brades $3,355

Living in Mexico City is roughly 74% more expensive than in Brades, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Brades is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$197

$18.72 EC$50.5

-43.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$898

$47.37 EC$128

2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$192

$12.14 EC$32.78

-14.74%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.5

$7.14 EC$19.27

-48.32%

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

$1.67 MX$30.95

$2.80 EC$7.55

-40.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.50

$1.58 EC$4.26

-19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.3

$2.93 EC$7.90

8.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.6

$4.53 EC$12.22

17.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.03

$3.47 EC$9.37

-50.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.5

$2.95 EC$7.96

3.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.6

$7.07 EC$19.08

-59.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$5.76 EC$15.54

90.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.11 EC$24.59

1.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$281

$22.89 EC$61.8

-33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.6

$3.34 EC$9.03

-8.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.05

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.61

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.99

$4.38 EC$11.82

-47.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.79

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.43

$2.25 EC$6.07

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.47

$5.21 EC$14.06

-71.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.5

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$299

$22.17 EC$59.9

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.0

$4.51 EC$12.19

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.67

$1.89 EC$5.11

-83.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.13

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.91

$4.70 EC$12.68

-88.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.3

$1.90 EC$5.12

178.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.05

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

$21.8K MX$404.0K

$22.2K EC$60.0K

-2.10%

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

$24.0K MX$445.4K

$15.0K EC$40.4K

60.21%

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

$63.0 MX$1,170

$92.8 EC$250

-32.10%

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

$27.39 MX$509

$40.24 EC$109

-31.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$662

$48.18 EC$130

-25.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,095

$56.4 EC$152

4.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$439

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

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

$432 MX$8,015

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,267

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$987

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,002

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,178

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.1K

$1,296 EC$3,499

99.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.1K

$1,280 EC$3,455

9.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,320 EC$3,563

-28.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brades: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Brades

–

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Brades

–

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Brades

–

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Brades

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Brades

–

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Brades

–

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Brades

–

Cost Breakdown

Brades pays 39% 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 $47 in Brades. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $341, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇲🇸 Brades

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

400

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.8 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.8 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Brades 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Brades

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 Brades: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brades wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brades the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $923 in Brades – Brades is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Brades is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.