Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cabo Rojo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Rojo: $1,236 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Mexico City, Mexico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Cabo Rojo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,236
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cabo Rojo

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,236 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,674
  • Cabo Rojo $1,236

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $1,948 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,606
  • Cabo Rojo $1,948

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $2,659 in Cabo Rojo, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,537
  • Cabo Rojo $2,659

Mexico City costs about 35% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Mexico City sits 24% above the global median, while Cabo Rojo is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.59 MX$197
$10.02 $10.02
5.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.0 MX$967
$83.4 $83.4
-37.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 MX$200
$8.79 $8.79
22.07%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$70.6
$3.63 $3.63
4.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 MX$30.01
$1.85 $1.85
-12.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 MX$22.55
$1.50 $1.50
-19.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 MX$59.1
$1.53 $1.53
107.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.44 MX$101
$3.45 $3.45
57.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$31.96
$2.14 $2.14
-19.63%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 MX$55.2
$3.58 $3.58
-17.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 MX$35.84
$2.45 $2.45
-21.22%
Eggs
$2.77 MX$51.6
$7.37 $7.37
-62.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.67 MX$217
$12.35 $12.35
-5.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.48 MX$176
$9.86 $9.86
-3.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.37 MX$286
$13.20 $13.20
16.44%
Apples (1kg)
$3.10 MX$57.8
$5.03 $5.03
-38.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 MX$36.49
$2.63 $2.63
-25.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.98 MX$36.88
$4.88 $4.88
-59.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.34 MX$43.46
$4.78 $4.78
-51.05%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.66
$3.89 $3.89
-48.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 MX$33.95
$3.85 $3.85
-52.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 MX$28.74
$3.39 $3.39
-54.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.42
$1.59 $1.59
-17.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.35 MX$99.6
$12.02 $12.02
-55.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.19 MX$301
$15.43 $15.43
4.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 MX$36.46
$3.12 $3.12
-37.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.35 MX$81.0
$4.03 $4.03
7.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 MX$5.67
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.49 MX$363
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.92 MX$35.68
$2.53 $2.53
-24.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.47 MX$8.80
$1.52 $1.52
-69.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.41 MX$101
$42.46 $42.46
-87.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 MX$27.61
$0.77 $0.77
92.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K MX$397.7K
$34.1K $34.1K
-37.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K MX$442.1K
$27.7K $27.7K
-14.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.0 MX$1,154
$325 $325
-80.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.47 MX$530
$65.7 $65.7
-56.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.11 MX$635
$70.3 $70.3
-51.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.4 MX$1,087
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.50 MX$456
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.59 MX$123
$10.69 $10.69
-38.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$434 MX$8,081
$816 $816
-46.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.0K MX$261.2K
$12.3K $12.3K
14.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 MX$1,272
$55.6 $55.6
22.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.8 MX$1,020
$62.1 $62.1
-11.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 MX$2,063
$108 $108
2.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 MX$2,158
$112 $112
3.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,179 MX$21.9K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 MX$14.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,570 MX$47.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,420 MX$26.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,586 MX$66.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,064 MX$38.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Cabo Rojo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,003 MX$18.7K
$4,260 $4,260
-76.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
6.55
73.28%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cabo Rojo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$771
Cabo Rojo
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$324
Cabo Rojo
$413 27.8% $90
Eating Out
Mexico City
$201
Cabo Rojo
$178 11.2% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$158
Cabo Rojo
$152 3.4% $5.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$125
Cabo Rojo
$461 270% $337
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Cabo Rojo
$21 * 70.1% $50
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Cabo Rojo
$10 * 59.6% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cabo Rojo are about 4.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Mexico City versus $83 in Cabo Rojo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $413 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo
🕒 Local time
21:04 9:04 PM
23:04 11:04 PM
2 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
50,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Cabo Rojo 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Cabo Rojo

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 Cabo Rojo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Cabo Rojo?
Mexico City costs about 35% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mexico City and in Cabo Rojo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $1,855 in Cabo Rojo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to Cabo Rojo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. That makes Cabo Rojo about 26% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Mexico City and in Cabo Rojo?
Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $816 in Cabo Rojo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mexico City or in Cabo Rojo?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,236 in Cabo Rojo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mexico City or Cabo Rojo?
It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,236 in Cabo Rojo to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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