Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cabarete Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cabarete

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,448 in Mexico City versus $875 in Cabarete.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,354 in Mexico City versus $1,347 in Cabarete.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Mexico City versus $1,819 in Cabarete.

Living in Mexico City is roughly 65% more expensive than Cabarete, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 9% above, Cabarete is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.96 MX$223

$6.30 DOP 367

105.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 MX$900

$36.10 DOP 2,103

44.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.69 MX$167

$6.03 DOP 351

60.70%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$64.6

$2.28 DOP 133

64.47%

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

$1.56 MX$26.91

$1.00 DOP 58.0

56.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$19.93

$0.82 DOP 48.02

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 MX$55.8

$2.62 DOP 153

23.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MX$84.3

$3.66 DOP 213

33.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$29.29

$0.93 DOP 54.4

82.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$45.90

$1.41 DOP 82.1

89.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 MX$32.49

$1.52 DOP 88.8

24.34%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$43.37

$1.58 DOP 92.2

59.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 MX$172

$6.95 DOP 405

44.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 MX$147

$4.64 DOP 270

83.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.94 MX$205

$5.75 DOP 335

107.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 MX$51.1

$0.97 DOP 56.8

206.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 MX$30.88

$0.87 DOP 50.6

105.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 MX$34.40

$1.88 DOP 110

6.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$33.74

$1.30 DOP 75.5

50.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 MX$37.21

$1.10 DOP 64.3

96.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 MX$39.04

$1.83 DOP 107

24.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 MX$24.14

$1.05 DOP 61.1

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.18

$0.95 DOP 55.2

16.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$72.2

$3.37 DOP 196

24.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 MX$285

$10.82 DOP 631

52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$28.94

$2.28 DOP 133

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 MX$61.8

$2.72 DOP 159

31.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 MX$6.65

$0.65 DOP 37.69

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.19 MX$330

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 MX$23.77

$3.31 DOP 193

-58.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 MX$5.19

$2.12 DOP 124

-85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$92.7

$6.01 DOP 350

-10.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 MX$22.13

$1.26 DOP 73.4

2.38%

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

$18.9K MX$325.1K

$26.5K DOP 1.5M

-28.79%

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

$23.8K MX$409.5K

$31.9K DOP 1.9M

-25.42%

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

$39.86 MX$686

$50.2 DOP 2,926

-20.63%

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

$27.83 MX$479

$25.79 DOP 1,503

7.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.77 MX$512

$17.13 DOP 998

73.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 MX$894

$43.32 DOP 2,524

19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.22 MX$451

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 MX$108

$6.82 DOP 397

-8.06%

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

$433 MX$7,443

$268 DOP 15.6K

61.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MX$181.3K

$8,241 DOP 480.2K

27.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 MX$981

$59.5 DOP 3,466

-4.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.33 MX$780

$51.7 DOP 3,012

-12.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,753

$97.0 DOP 5,653

4.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 MX$1,867

$114 DOP 6,632

-4.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 MX$17.1K

$871 DOP 50.7K

14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 MX$10.6K

$255 DOP 14.9K

141.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,086 MX$35.9K

$585 DOP 34.1K

256.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 MX$21.6K

$374 DOP 21.8K

235.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,936 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,089 MX$35.9K

$303 DOP 17.7K

589.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,131 MX$19.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

12.9

-12.09%

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

Last update for Mexico City: June 14, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: June 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $994 in Mexico City and $871 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Mexico City vs $36.00 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $182 per month, with Cabarete cheaper across the board.

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 65% 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 $2,173 in Mexico City and $1,313 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: $994 in Mexico City versus $871 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $433 in Mexico City versus $268 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $52.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $875 in Cabarete versus $1,448 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $875 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Cabarete are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.