Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cabarete

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabarete: $1,191 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
Learn more

Cabarete Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,191 in Cabarete.

Mexico City $1,608
Cabarete $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,800 in Cabarete.

Mexico City $2,549
Cabarete $1,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,409 in Cabarete.

Mexico City $3,490
Cabarete $2,409

Living in Mexico City is roughly 35% more expensive than in Cabarete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Cabarete is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.60 DOP 458

39.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$50.1 DOP 3,020

-3.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$6.53 DOP 394

58.50%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$2.01 DOP 121

83.58%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.06 DOP 63.7

57.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$0.58 DOP 34.91

118.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$2.39 DOP 144

33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$3.15 DOP 190

68.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$1.40 DOP 84.7

22.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.52 DOP 91.5

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$1.62 DOP 97.5

19.75%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.30 DOP 139

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$7.10 DOP 429

54.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$5.34 DOP 322

73.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$6.72 DOP 406

125.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$2.91 DOP 175

4.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$0.79 DOP 47.66

145.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$2.70 DOP 163

-24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$1.84 DOP 111

25.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$2.04 DOP 123

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$2.22 DOP 134

-18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$0.97 DOP 58.7

52.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$0.85 DOP 51.6

49.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$4.10 DOP 248

29.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$10.24 DOP 618

57.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.56 DOP 155

-22.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$2.42 DOP 146

75.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.03 DOP 62.1

-69.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.30 DOP 199

-44.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$2.24 DOP 135

-76.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$5.67 DOP 342

-6.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.22 DOP 73.8

23.77%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$26.8K DOP 1.6M

-18.88%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$33.6K DOP 2.0M

-28.64%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$90.2 DOP 5,444

-30.19%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$31.17 DOP 1,881

-12.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$36.44 DOP 2,199

-2.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$24.37 DOP 1,471

141.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$7.29 DOP 440

-12.21%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$246 DOP 14.9K

75.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$7,266 DOP 438.5K

57.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$45.08 DOP 2,721

51.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$45.53 DOP 2,747

16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$86.5 DOP 5,219

24.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$123 DOP 7,394

-4.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$713 DOP 43.0K

56.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$497 DOP 30.0K

43.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,219 DOP 73.6K

112.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$809 DOP 48.8K

73.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$293 DOP 17.7K

628.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cabarete

$497 41.7% 30.1% $214

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cabarete

$215 18.1% 32.7% $104

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cabarete

$129 10.9% 34.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cabarete

$135 11.3% 13.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cabarete

$158 13.3% 25.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cabarete

$39 3.3% 45.7% $33

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6% 27% $6.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $713 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $50 in Cabarete. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $215, with Cabarete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

4,094

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Cabarete

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $1,787 in Cabarete 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 $713 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $246 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $48 versus $50 in Cabarete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cabarete is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value at $1,191 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.